The Regiment of Twilight
by Kingdom Come
Summary: A dark force greater than anything Atmos has ever seen is heading over the horizon and brings ill tidings for the fate of the world. With the help of the enigmatic Twilight Knights, and their equally mysterious leader, Advent, it's up to the Storm Hawks, Cyclonians, and new friends to stop the Demonic Legion of the Far-Side. Rated T for: violence, sexual themes, and strong dialogue
1. Prologue: Best Interest

DISCLIAMER: THIS HAS NOOOOOOOOOOOOOTHING TO DO WITH STEPHANIE MEYER'S TWILIGHT :O Also I don't own Storm Hawks.

Prologue,

Best Interest

The sky was painted dark gray as the murky clouds filled the sky, threatening the world below with one hell of a storm. However there was one carrier that dared to soar through the blackened sky. The master of this vessel stood out on the flight bay, the violent winds whipping through her icy white hair. The cold air stung her pallid skin like ten thousand needles. Her runic blue eyes stared into the darkness around her. She knew that this was no ordinary storm. Something bad was coming her way, and she could tell it wasn't going to be nearly as pleasant as a simple thunderstorm.

"Advent," Another woman beckoned, stepping out on to the massive flight bay of the obscenely large carrier, "Aida and Innes think that it is in the best interest of the ship if we land and wait out the storm."

"I make that call Nova," The woman known as Advent replied, turning around to face her. She was tall and thin (as most women of Atmos were) with dark and tan skin. Her hair was long, straight, and bore the colour of the sky. Her eyes were golden, but hidden behind circular shaped glasses with red lenses. She wore what resembled a Sky Knight's uniform, although it was of no squadron that would be familiar to many of Atmos' citizens. It was black and azure, and her armor was much more precisely crafted than many other squadrons were. At her side, in two black leather holsters were two crystal guns.

"Not to question your authority," Nova replied, looking up to the sky, "But I don't think it wise to continue in this weather.

"We will move on towards Terra Wyndia as planned," Advent replied sternly, looking direly into the dark horizon before her, "Terra Wyndia is were he fell from the door, therefore we travel there and pray to Jevanni that Cypress hasn't gotten their first…"

"I understand," Nova sighed, she turned away from Advent and made her way across the flight deck and back into the carrier.

"Something dark is heading Atmos' way," Advent called just before Nova was out of earshot. Nova turned to face her, but she was still fixated on the storm, "Something darker than anything Cyclonia or anything else from this world could muster…And when that day comes I want my squadron to be prepared for whatever is thrown at us, and I can guarantee that this little bit of rain will be nothing compared to what we will be seeing soon."

"Yes Advent," Nova replied, nodding at the woman, although she made no effort to acknowledge her before she headed into the hangar. Nova opened the hatch to the hangar and stepped inside, closing the hatch behind her and leaving Advent on the flight deck to stare into her storm. Nova then turned to find two men staring at her anxiously. Both of the men were wearing similar uniforms to hers, only one of the men adorned a magenta uniform and the other wore cyan.

The man in the magenta uniform looked towards Nova hopefully, and gave her a weak smiled. Nova responded by looking down towards the ground in frustration and the man in the magenta uniform knew that Advent wished to press through the impending downpour.

"We can't even stop for a few hours!" The man in the magenta uniform exclaimed in frustration, "A carrier this size wasn't meant to fly for this long anyway!"

"Has Advent lost her mind!" The man in the cyan uniform growled.

"She's lost something," Nova replied direly as she looked back outside to the small white apparition in a black cloak standing on the edge of the flight deck. The two men then remained silent, looking down at the ground, "Advent want's to travel to Terra Wyndia…actually that's none of your business…"

"Then at least tell us what happened to her arm," The man in the magenta uniform inquired seriously.

Nova looked over towards him and then gave him an arrogant smile, "That's really none off your business either…if Master Advent decides to tell you and the rest of the Twilight Knights what happened that night then she will, but until then, keep your mouth shut and don't ask her any questions, because it's over your head." Nova concluded with an arrogant smile as she turned away from them and headed out of the hangar and into the main chambers of the carrier.

"Do you really think what happened to Master Advent is so bad that she can't tell us about it?" The man in the cyan uniform inquired.

"I'm not sure," The other replied, looking down at the ground, "But odds are if Master Advent was doing something that got her arm blown off, then she had to be something really powerful, really dangerous, and really illegal."

"You don't think she was practicing runeology do you?" The man in the cyan uniform exclaimed, "The Sky Knight Council and the Atmosian Consulate banned the use of Symbology and Runeology centuries ago."

"Except on Terra Wyndia," The man in the magenta uniform replied looking up at his companion.

"You don't think-" He exclaimed, his bright turquoise eyes staring widely into the other man's.

"I do," He nodded, "Whatever Master Advent wants to do on Terra Wyndia, it probably involves Runeology."

"Should we tell the rest of the Squadron!" The man in the cyan replied, lowering his tone to a whisper.

"No," The other replied, shaking his head, "That wouldn't be wise…the last thing we need is to be spreading rumors around amongst the other Twilight Knights, besides we don't know for sure that that's what Advent is up too…"

"Good point," The man in the cyan sighed as he and the man in the magenta turned headed towards the cockpit of the carrier, "But Aida…" He called as his companion in magenta turned towards him.

"What is it Innes?" He inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"What if Advent really is up to something illegal?" He asked, sounding worried, "And what if the Sky Knight council-"

"Don't even think that way," He laughed, turning away from him and heading back towards the cockpit, "I mean after all we're the Twilight Knights! Even if Advent is up to something bad, the council has to remember that we have Atmos' best interest in mind! We always do! And we always have ever since the Twilight Knights were first founded…I think it's just best if we let sleeping dogs lie for now."

"I sure hope you're right Aida," The man in the cyan sighed before heading into the cockpit behind his companion.

* * *

Author's Notes: YAY! My First Storm Hawks Fic! Be nice (lol XD jk I'm sure I can handle it) but anywho yeah I wouldn't call this a prologue persay, but I definately would call it a 'preview' or breif introduction of things to come :3 ALSOOOOOOOOOO: This is a continuation (mine anyway) of the series :P so there will be some crazy shiz going on and some definate far-side action headed ur way so read and review ALSO ALSO ALSO ALSO! I'm starting the rating at T, but that might be subject to change (I am a very twisted individual).


	2. Chapter 1: The Scientist

Author's Note: Read and Review por favor!

_Runeology - The Study of ancient Runes and the practice of using said runes in a Symbolic reaction in order to obtain a magical product such as a spell._

_Symbology - The study or interpretation of Symbols and the use of symbols to represent things._

_Symbology is the first subdivision of Runeology, where, rather than using runes, the Runeologist uses a symbol in the reaction, thereby making them a Symbologist._

_Symbology and Runeology was outlawed in Atmos over five hundred years ago, when it came to the attention of the Sky Knight Council that __most__ Sky Knights were incapable of the practice. And with the recent discovery of Crystal Mages during the time, the powers that be in Atmos felt that practiced Symbologists and Runeologists being the only beings on Atmos to have the ability at all, felt that practicing both arts were dangerous and could prove harmful. _

_However, Symbology and Runeology are sciences and their mastery, like most sciences, require patience and knowledge in order to grasp an understanding of how the practice works. Unlike Crystal Mages, Symbologists and Runeologists must follow the set natural laws of the science, rather than waving some rocks around blindly._

_For example, every action must have an equal and opposite reaction. In other words your output must and will be equal to your input. In order for a Runeologist to catalyze a rain storm, they would use a crystal in the reaction. And the storm that generates will be only as powerful as the crystal used in the reaction._

_But regardless of the laws that the sciences followed, it did not dissuade the Sky Knight Council from forbidding the art. However, for the sake of knowledge, they allowed what little Symbologists and Runeologists that remained to settle on Terra Wyndia and train promising scientists and Crystal Mages the arts, but at the cost that they may never leave Terra Wyndia unless the Atmos was in a state of peril…_

Chapter I.

The Scientist

It was early in the morning when a young girl, maybe no older than ten stretched her arms over her head and let out a large yawn as she looked out of the large dusty window beside her bed. It was only dawn and she was in no danger of being late for her lessons. So she let her feet touch down on the cool wooden floor of her small room and she then headed towards the mahogany wardrobe across the room. She opened the doors and pulled out a short, pleated black wool skirt, a white collared shirt, and a black vest with the letters SIT embroidered in gold on the upper left hand side of the vest. She placed the garments on her body and pulled a black, knee-length robe with mid-length sleeves out of the wardrobe and draped it over her body effortlessly. She then pulled on a pair of magenta knee highs and a pair of patent leather oxfords.

She then headed over towards the wash basin and mirror that wasn't more than a step away from the wardrobe. Her deep violet eyes smiled back at her as she dipped her pale hands into the full was basin and ran her wet fingertips through her long an straight dark pink hair. She then took a few bobby pins and secured her hair into a messy bun at the back of her head. She smiled at her reflection playfully and then walked over towards her bedroom door. But before she exited her bedchamber, she lifted a few small and old books off of the ground, along with a bright pink satchel, overflowing with books, crystals, and papers containing various drawings of symbols and circles.

She headed down the old and creaky staircase of the small house and headed into the foyer, trying to be as quiet as possible, for it was quite early. However, she couldn't escape running into one of the abode's residence before leaving.

She heard a purring at her feet and looked down at a small creature with slate gray fur and large green eyes. It resembled a cat, but with a rather bushy tail and regrettably large ears.

"Shh!" She whispered, holding the index finger of her free hand up to her mouth, "I don't want Cloud to know I'm heading into the city!"

"… … …" The creature said nothing. It just stared at her and continued to purr in contentment. She then smiled and lifted the animal up by the scruff of its neck and placed it on her shoulder, where it made itself comfortable in the crook of her neck.

This girl was Sora. She didn't have a last name, and no one really knew where she came from exactly. All the citizens of the terra knew was that she was found alone and crying on the doorstep of the house she currently resides in as an infant with nothing to indicate who she might have belonged to. So she was just Sora.

But she was different from the moment she was born. Sora became a Symbologist at the age of four, accidentally of course. Regardless, she was regarded as a prodigy and was enrolled at the Farithen Academy for S.I.T.'s (Symbologists In Training) on Terra Wyndia when she was six.

But Sora didn't care much for being a Symbologist and didn't really want to spend the rest of her life on Terra Wyndia, waiting for something to happen. She had heard stories of Sky Knights who defended the Terras of Atmos against evil and Tyranny, and as she heard more, it made her desire to leave Terra Wyndia grow even more. Little to her knowledge, Sora's wish was about to be granted sooner rather than later.

"Wouldn't traveling to other Terras be wonderful," Sora sighed, heading across the large meadow that separated her home from Terra Wyndia's city, Dolanaar. Her pet looked towards her, as though it believed that she was addressing him. However, Sora had a tendency to talk to herself often, whether she intended for other to hear or not, "I mean just for once I'd like to travel to Terra Atmosia…just to see what it's like…or maybe have some fun on Terra Neon…but no…I have to stay here on the most boring Terra in Atmos, waiting for something to happen."

"…" The animal said nothing, as it could not speak, but I'm sure if it could, it still wouldn't say anything anyway.

"Sure the city is nice…" Sora sighed, still moving towards the house, "But there's more to the world than a city and a couple of villages." She stated as she continued heading across the meadow and towards the edge of the terra. When she reached the end, she sat down with her legs hanging limply off of the cliff that dropped down into the wastelands. She then remained silent as she stared off into the fresh morning sun that shone brightly behind a collection of pristine white clouds.

"Don't you just want to fall asleep on one of them Sherekan?" Sora asked the animal. It responded her with a flat expression and a slight purring noise, "I know that they're a collection of condensed water vapors…but clouds just look so cottony and inviting, and for that matter-"

Sora wanted to continue, but the sight of pearly white metal soon eclipsed her vision of the horizon. The metal wall arose from the clouds that shrouded the wastelands below and ascended into the air and soon above Terra Wyndia. Sora watched with awe and hope as she saw the city-sized carrier fly only feet above her head.

The carrier drifted gently towards the city of Dolanaar and Sora decided that she too was going to head into the same direction as the carrier. Sherekan pulled on her hair as she rushed towards the scene, but Sora swatted at the creature in an attempt to stop him.

"Quit it!" She exclaimed, flicking the creature on the nose, "I just wanna see who's on the ship is all! Who knows, they could be Sky Knights!" Sherekan rolled his eyes and sunk his claws into Sora's robe as so he wouldn't go flying off of her shoulder as she ran.

And so, with more reason and motivation than usual, Sora found herself standing only several meters away from the carrier just on the outskirts of the city. She observed as a large hatch opened on the ship and several dozen characters unlike she had ever seen emerge from within the ship. Many of them were wearing armor of all different kinds, all wearing different colored uniforms, and all of them looking as though they came from different corners of Atmos. At the front of the group was a woman with clean snow white hair, perfectly blue eyes, pale skin, and enveloped in a black cloak. She also looked quite young, maybe not even twenty. But judging by the way the others followed her and looked towards her with respect and honor, Sora assumed that this was their leader.

"Good Morning Headmaster Ravisous," The pale young woman began, heading towards an elderly man adorning long black robes. Sora recognized him as being the headmaster of Farithen Academy, so she ducked out of sight quickly as so her instructor wouldn't catch her snooping around in places she obviously doesn't belong.

"Good Morning to you too Master Advent," He began proudly, and a little nervously as he advanced carefully towards the woman, "It is an Honor to welcome the Twilight Knights to Terra Wyndia. To whom do I owe the honor?"

"The Twilight Knights," Sora whispered, looking over to Sherekan, "But I thought that the legend of the Twilight Knights was just a bedtime story…"

"One of your students," The woman began direly, "Of course I really don't have to tell you anything…but I need your help."

"Anything Master Advent," Headmaster Ravisous replied shakily, giving her a bow, "Of course I can introduce you to the brightest and most accomplished Symbologists and Runeologists on the Terra-"

"I'm looking for someone in particular," Advent interrupted, holding her hand up to the man, "I am looking for an accomplished scientist…but there are a few stipulations… they will to be a female and they will be very young. Naïve when it comes to the real world, but a gifted scientist. Do you understand?"

"Oh yes," He replied proudly, "The Farithen Academy for Symbologists and Runeologists have many a promising student that-"

"We're not interested in the entire School's history," Advent replied, rolling her eyes, obviously uninterested by the old man, "Now please introduce me to the students… I've quite the busy schedule and me and my squadron won't dawdle around here for long."

"I understand Master Advent," Headmaster Ravisous began, gesturing her and her brigade of knights to follow him, "If you'll please come with me, I can perhaps help to dwindle your search."

"Then by all means," Advent replied haughtily once again, "Move at a glacial pace… you know how much that thrills me…"

And with that, the group headed away from the massive carrier and followed the feeble old professor into the city of Dolanaar. Sora then emerged from her hiding place within a nearby alley and looked down the street towards where the group was heading. Sora didn't waste any time, she knew that they were going to the academy and even though class didn't start for another hour, she was going to start her day earlier than usual.

* * *

Sora entered the foyer of the large ornate building that sat proudly in the centre of the city. She walked quietly into the gold and marble room, hanging with gold and ruby chandeliers and crimson tapestries. The only sound being made was Sherekan's purring, which wasn't that loud to begin with. Still, Sora moved quietly, listening quietly for any sound or noise from the mysterious visitors. In fact, she was listening so intently that she didn't even realize that someone was there watching her.

"Sora?" she inquired, startling the young girl. She was a tall Merb woman, with pale grey fur and snow white hair. This was Sora's mentor and instructor, Wren, "What are you doing here so early?"

"Well," Sora laughed nervously, "Actually I was-"

"I know," Wren exclaimed, gesturing Sora to come with her, "You were summoned by the Sky Knight Squadron that arrived here this morning right? They must be here to evaluate you."

"But what do they want with someone like me?" Sora asked meekly as she followed her instructor down the hallway, "I'm only ten years old!"

"It has something to do with young symbologists," Wren explained as she gestured Sora to continue following her down a large hallway towards the Headmaster's office, "I'm sure it has something to do with some silly and misinterpreted prophecy, after all Sky Knights take a more…well…biblical approach to things."

"Hmm…" Sora replied quietly, following her instructor. Wren then knocked on a large crimson door at the end of a marble hallway. There was no response from the other side, only the door creaked open as though inviting them inside. Sora stepped into the room, but her instructor did not follow. She looked around the Headmaster's office and saw the pale woman in the black cloak standing alongside Headmaster Ravisous with two other girls in the room. They were both about fourteen, wearing the same uniform as Sora. The first was tall, thin, and blonde with green-hazel eyes and a sweet disposition. Sora didn't really know this girl, but she knew she was the second youngest student at the academy. The other, Sora also did not know, but she was short and lanky with dark black hair and a dire disposition.

"Who is this," Advent asked with a bit of interest as she looked down at Sora. Not only was Sora young, but she was also a Symbologist according to her uniform.

"This is Sora…" The Headmaster groaned, looking down towards the Troublemaking youth, "But trust me…she's not what you're looking for."

"I'll decide that," Advent growled, giving the Headmaster a glance. Advent then moved across the room and gestured the girls to follow her, "If the three of you could just follow me…I've got a little test for you."

"I don't like where this is going Sherekan…" Sora whispered into the ear of the animal. Sherekan rolled his eyes at her in response, almost as though he was saying: Hey, you asked for it!

* * *

"We'd like to test your skills as Symbologists," Advent stated, standing in front of a large open field somewhere outside of the city. There were several people standing in a neat line behind her and Headmaster Ravisous was standing next to her, looking quite nervous. "We've provided you each with a crystal to use as a catalyst in your reactions…whoever passes the evaluation will join the Twilight Knights as a squadron Symbologist."

_No way!_ Sora thought, her heart skipping a beat as the words left Advent's mouth.

"The conditions of the evaluation are simple," Advent explained, as she spoke, each girl looked down at their crystal. The dower looking girl had a bluish looking crystal, which Sora assumed was a hydrostone. The other girl had a orange looking stone, which Sora didn't know what it was. And as for Sora herself, she had some pale purple crystal of unknown power herself.

_This is great,_ Sora thought dismally, _How am I supposed to use this if I don't even know what it does…_

"You will use your crystals in a Symbolic or Runeolic reaction to create something," Advent explained, "It doesn't matter what you make…just as long as it impresses me…"

_How the heck am I supposed to know what to make to impress her? _Sora thought in dismay as she looked down at her crystal. She immediately put it out of her mind that she was leaving today with the Twilight Knights, as the other girls were also Symbology prodigies with a better knowledge of crystals than her.

"I guess I'm first," The blonde girl giggled, as she headed out into the field. She took a small piece of parchment with a rune painted on the surface. She placed it down on to the ground and placed her orange crystal on top.

_A fire rune, _Sora thought raising an eyebrow, _Now what's she going to make with that?_

The girl then placed her hand on the crystal and it began to glow. The ground around her then began to glow as a stone obelisk arose from the ground. The stone sculpture stood over two stories, spouting fire and flame, almost in an attempt to ward of anyone who would do harm. The blonde girl looked confident, but when she went to stand, she couldn't.

"A fire ward," A woman with violet hair and green eyes stated, "Interesting, and impressive detail, but perhaps a bit to shamanistic."

"Not to mention," A woman with dark pink hair and golden eyes added, "She used so much energy in the reaction that she can barely stand."

"Then I guess it's my turn," The dire looking girl scoffed, pushing Sora out of the way and heading into the field herself. She pushed past the blonde girl and scoffed at her creation, "Lets douse this fire shall we?" She laughed arrogantly as she pulled a glove on to her left hand. Upon the surface of the glove was a bluish symbol for ice. She then took the crystal and pressed it against the ward with her left hand. The bluish crystal faded into the surface of the stone ward and in an instant, the obelisk was encased in ice. The dower girl smiled confidently as she stepped away from the frozen statue. But something was wrong. Flames still emerged from under the ice, and the ground below the group began to tremble.

"That's not good!" A young man with bright pink hair exclaimed as he began to pull on a glove of his own. And in that moment, the obelisk shattered in a violent explosion and thin icy shards of obsidian came flying at the two girls. Sora didn't think, she seized her crystal, ran towards the two girls, and lifted the purple crystal above her head.

"Rune of transfiguration!" Sora shouted as the ground below her began to glow bright purple and a rune appeared below her feet. And in a flash of white light, the obelisk and the flying shards of ice and stone disappeared and were replaced by falling snow.

"Impressive," Advent smiled, looking up into the bright sky, watching the delicate snow fall, "I believe that we've found our scientist…"

"I…" Sora began, looking down at her hand. Sherekan, who was clinging to Sora's robe the entire time, looked to her with slight amazement and a little bit of fear, "I didn't know I had it in me…"


	3. Chapter 2: Age of heroes

Author's Note: Okay so you were all probably wondering when teh fuck the Storm Hawks (or any other original character from the series) were actually going to appear in this story (actually if you were paying attention two of them had already made an appearance in chapter one hint: It's Starling and Ravess). But yes this is the chapter when the Storm Hawks will be coming into the mix…hooray :D ALSOOOO I just want to say that I officially introduce Aida in this chapter and he is like OHMIGAWDHESMYFAVORITEOC :D I liked developing him in my mind and experimenting with who he is and you'll find out why at the end of the chapter.

Chapter II.

Age of Heroes.

Nothing about the Far-Side was at all pleasant. It was mostly dark and cold with an enigmatic terrain that was difficult if not impossible to navigate. It was also almost and impossibility to stay safe, for most of the beasts that resided in the Far-Side were cold and unrelenting with a lust for blood and anger. Only truly godforsaken souls belonged in this place, them, or the ethereally stupid.

Which leads to a moderately sized carrier sitting apprehensively in the centre of an empty and desolate gorge. It wasn't shabby per say, but it looked as though it had been through its fair share of battles. Also, painted on the side of the carrier, was a blue insignia of a Sky Knight squadron, known to most Atmosians as the insignia of the Storm Hawks.

It had been nearly a year since the Storm Hawks had traveled into the Far Side in search of Master Cyclonis, but sadly they hadn't been any closer to finding her. They assumed that she was dead, for the squadron had a carrier to protect them, Cyclonis had only her knowledge and a few crystals, so they doubted her survival. Little to their knowledge however, even the start of their hunt was nothing but a wild goose chase.

Still, the Storm Hawks' situation had escaladed to a point where they had feared that they would never leave the far side, and they were doomed to stay there for eternity. Once again however, little to their knowledge they were about to head home sooner rather than later.

In truth, none of them ever knew what time it was on the Far Side, for there was no sun to rise or set and the sky stayed a dull grayish colour all the time, but they were sure it was morning somewhere. And so the five mismatched teens (and creature) awoke to the same dull and lifeless sky, and the sounds of creatures prowling about outside.

Strangely enough, it was deathly quiet on the ship, and it had been deathly quiet for quite some time. Piper was usually absorbed in her studies of crystals and the binding itself. Aerrow typically took Junko and Finn out to scour the surrounding area for anything that might be of use to them for survival. And as for Stork, he spent most of his time either trying to locate a way out of the Far Side, or lamenting his imminent demise. Either way, this new lifestyle was taking a toll on the teens, physically and emotionally.

However, they tried to make the best of their situation and went about their days doing what they could. In fact, that morning, Piper had been experimenting with a few crystals in an attempt to contact Atmos from the other side.

"Any luck?" Aerrow inquired hopefully, walking towards Piper. She said nothing, she merely gave him a look that clearly said: _What the hell do you think?_ That was sufficient enough for him. She then placed the crystals down lazily on to the table and let out a sigh.

"This place is so unstable," Piper sighed, pressing her fingers into her temples as she leaned back against the chair, "I'm not sure I can get _any _of our crystals to work out here!"

"I have confidence in you," Aerrow smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Our luck will change, it always does."

"I'm sure you're right," Piper sighed, looking sadly back at the crystals.

"Hello?" They then heard a female voice call from the other side of the ship's radio. The five teens then immediately dropped what they were doing and rushed to the radio, looking in shock and surprise to the device. Their hearts pounded as Aerrow lifted the microphone towards his mouth.

"Yes?" He quivered, his heart pounding from the thought of someone else out in the Far Side, "Hello! This is Aerrow of the Storm Hawks…"

There was no reply. He then placed the microphone down next to the radio with disappointment. But then the radio began to buzz and crackle.

"Aerrow?" The female voice called again, "My name is Tarja…Tarja Nova…hold tight and don't go anywhere…I'm coming to take you home. How many are with you?"

"I-I," Aerrow began in shock, not sure how to respond. He thought for a moment he was dreaming, until Piper ripped the microphone from his hand out of fear that they might lose their signal.

"There are six of us!" Piper exclaimed into the microphone.

"Are you in a ship!" Nova demanded.

"Yes," Aerrow stated, holding on the microphone with Piper.

"Alright," Nova stated, sounding confident, "Hold on kids…it's going to be a rough ride."

"What does she mean by that?" Finn asked, thinking that the entire radio call was some sort of delusion that their minds were playing on them.

"I think-" Piper began, but before she could continue, the ground below them started to shake.

"What's going on!" Junko exclaimed as the earthquake grew more violent and the condor and the areas around began to glow a bright bluish colour.

"I don't know!" Aerrow shouted, holding on to a nearby wall. Radaar leapt on to Aerrow's shoulder then hand gripped tightly to the collar of his shirt. It wasn't before long that the image of the condor's interior and the visions of their fellow squadron members were completely engulfed in white. All each of any of the teens could see was white, but it didn't feel as though they were on the condor any more.

"Piper!" Aerrow exclaimed, looking around the area, "Finn! Junko! Stork! Radaar! Anyone!" But no one replied. All was silent, except for the dull humming sound of a tuning fork.

_Where's that coming from? _Aerrow asked looking around the blank area. He turned around to see if anything was behind him. Nothing, all he could see was an endless abyss of white. But then he turned back around, and what he saw made his heart skip a beat. It was the door. That same damn door that he watched Cyclonis flee through. That same God Damn door that he sent his team blindly into without thinking about the consequences. And that same God Damn door that was opening in front of him by itself.

There was nothing on the inside, just blackness. But, as though some unseen force was standing behind him, he found himself being thrown into the door and into the blackness. He had no time to scream, or shout, or run. He was plunging straight into what seemed like hell, and that's when he lost consciousness.

* * *

"NO!" Aerrow shouted, bolting upright and looking at his surroundings. It certainly wasn't the condor. It wasn't anything close to the condor. The room was a bright and pristine white and there was medical equipment surrounding the bed he was lying in.

"You can relax now," A woman of maybe twenty five smiled, looking down at him. She was tall, with tanned skin and azure hair. She had golden eyes that were hidden behind circular sunglasses and she was wearing some sort of Sky Knight uniform, "You're not in any danger."

"Am I…" Aerrow began, shivering a little, "Am I dead!"

"God no," The woman laughed, placing a hand on his shoulder. She was warm, and Aerrow could feel her hand on his shoulder, that was proof of his life enough for him, "You're back on Atmos…about twenty clicks from Tropica to be exact."

"How…" Aerrow gasped, looking out of the small window on the opposite side of the room, "I was…just in the Far Side a few minuets ago."

"Actually you haven't…" The woman replied, "You've actually been unconscious for the last three days. We've been waiting on you to wake up."

"Three days!" Aerrow shouted, leaping from the bed and rushing towards the woman, "Where's the rest of my squadron! Are they okay! Are they _alive_!"

"Why don't you ask them?" She smiled, pointing to the door. At that moment, Piper, Junko, Finn, Stork, Radaar, and one more familiar face rushed into the room.

"Aerrow I'm so glad you're okay!" Piper cried, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Starling?" Aerrow asked, looking at the sixth face in the group. She said nothing, she just smiled warmly at him. And it wasn't as though he wasn't happy to see her, he was just confused as to what she was doing there, "Why are you here?"

"I'm lending my talents to the Twilight Knights," Starling stated calmly, smiling at him, "They need my help more than anyone else right now."

"What's going on?" Aerrow inquired, "Who are the Twilight Knights! And most importantly how the hell did we get back here!"

"I can answer that," The azure haired woman replied, pushing Aerrow back down on to the bed, "As a matter of fact, I'm going to ask the rest of you to leave…"

"Of course Nova," Starling replied, giving the Azure haired woman a nod, and gesturing the rest of the teens to leave.

"Wait why can't they stay!" Aerrow inquired, sounding confused and agitated.

"Because they've already heard what I have to tell you," The woman replied, trying to calm Aerrow down, "it's just a lot of information to retain at one time."

"Okay," Aerrow replied, letting out a sigh of relief. The woman then sat down on the bed next to him and took a deep breath herself.

"As you may already know," She began, looking towards Aerrow, "I am Tarja Nova…I'm the one who called you on the far side."

"Picked up on that," Aerrow nodded, staring into space as she spoke.

"I guess there's no easy way to say this," Nova sighed, "So I'm just going to let it all out right now. We, I mean, our squadron didn't bring you back just because we could…"

"You need u for something," Aerrow stated flatly, "They always do…"

"I wish I could have had you here on happier terms," Nova replied with a slight nervous laugh, "But sadly we wouldn't have gone through hell and high water just so we could say hello."

"So what's the problem?" Aerrow asked, as heroically as he could, "Is that all you can tell me? And is it really that bad?"

"You remember the reign of Cyclonis the third?" Nova inquired.

"Of course," Aerrow scoffed, "We nearly defeated her until-"

"She ran off to the far side," Nova nodded, "However imagine Master Cyclonis and her army multiplied by one thousand…"

"Does something like that even exist?" Aerrow asked, still feeling as though he was in a dream.

"It does," Nova nodded direly, "But we Twilight Knights have done quite the job of keeping it quiet from Atmos and keeping our existence quite quiet too."

"I thought the Twilight Knights were just a bedtime story," Aerrow added, looking up towards Nova. He then looked down at the insignia on her uniform. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. The insignia depicted the image of three beings surrounding a rounded crystal. The first of the beings looked to be some sort of archer, adorning a hood and holding a bow and arrow. The middle figure was a mage of some sort, covered in magical symbols and holding on to two crystals. And as for the last, it was a woman with more animalistic like features.

"Admiring the insignia are you?" Nova asked. Her insignia was engraved into her spaulders (for obvious reasons), "Each woman is representative of the three main subdivisions of our squadron…"

"Three?" Aerrow asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Nova smiled, pointing to the insignia, "You see we are clearly much larger than one measly squadron…we're more like a brigade you see, consisting of many talented and skilled individuals, and each of those individuals fall under a certain group." She explained, pointing to the first of the women, "The Archer is representative of the Knights themselves, appropriately their called the Aldor. the Mage is representative of the magisters, crystal mages, runeologists, symbologists, and scryers of the group, and appropriately their subgroup is called the Scryers. And as for the druid-"

"That's what that is?" Aerrow asked, thoroughly fascinated by the new squadron.

"Yes," Nova nodded, "The Twilight Knights are avid supporters of Druidism and we have quite a few Druids, Dryads, Skeelurs, Shapeshifters, and Hamadryads in our squadron."

"I've met Ayrgyn," Aerrow stated, still looking at the insignia, "But other than that I didn't think that Druids still existed…"

"They do," Nova shrugged, rising to her feet, "But I'm wasting your time giving you the extensive history of our _insignia_…As for what you're doing here, I believe I'll let Master Advent continue to enlighten you on that subject."

"Do the others know?" Aerrow asked, following Nova to the door.

"Of course not," Nova smiled arrogantly, reaching for the door handle, "All they know is what I told you…something big and bad is coming to huff, puff, and blow Atmos down, and we Twilight Knights _need_ the Storm Hawks to stop it. Well…you and a few other people."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Aerrow asked, feeling thoroughly confused.

"You ask entirely too many questions," Nova scoffed, shoving him out of the room.

"Where are we anyway?" Aerrow asked, continuing with his line of questioning as he looked around the long and tall metal hallway he was now in.

"You're onboard the Tempest," Nova smiled, just one of the few carriers of the Luxirious. And yes, if you have to ask we have a carrier for our carrier…The Tempest is Master Advent's carrier and I doubt that you'll travel on board many others. You see Advent want's to keep you with the main squadron of the Twilight Knights…or in other words _her _squadron."

"Who's Advent anyway," Aerrow asked. At this Nova stopped her walking and turned to look at Aerrow. Needless to say she didn't look happy.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just ask me that…" Nova growled, turning away from Aerrow just as they were both about to enter the cockpit of the Tempest. They both entered the area, where they found the helm of the ship, along with a large tabletop map of Atmos, and several dozen chairs surrounding the map.

"There he is!" Finn exclaimed, rising from one of the Chairs situated around the table.

"Well if that's all," Nova sighed, looking indifferently towards the group, "I'll leave you all to your own devices…" She stated just before leaving the area, "Starling, I trust you can inform them of any little surprises they might encounter while working with our organization…"

"Yes Nova," Starling nodded, not leaving her seat just as Nova exited the room.

"She seems…" Aerrow began sarcastically, looking towards Starling, "Nice…"

"Don't take it personally," Starling smiled, "Nova is cold, pushy, and abrasive… she treats everyone that way."

"So I'm going to assume that you don't really know why we're here either," Piper sighed, "Nova didn't tell us much."

"I'm afraid the only people who really know what's going on are Nova and our leader," Starling sighed, looking down towards the ground, "Master Advent that is…"

"So what did she mean by surprises?" Junko inquired, looking a little excited about what was in store for them.

"Well," Starling began, with a look on her face that said: It's not good and I'm not sure how to adequately express this in words, "I'm not sure how to say this-"

"Just spit it out," Aerrow replied with a slight smile, "I'm sure it can't be much worse than a dark force one thousand times worse than Master Cyclonis' army invading Atmos right?"

"Yeah," Starling replied, laughing nervously, "See there are twelve squadrons of twenty eight Twilight Knights per squadron that make up the Twilight Knights…you and I and everyone else here are in Squadron one with Nova and Master Advent…"

"For some reason I don't like where this is going," Finn stated, with his usual and indescribable 'Finn-like' demeanor.

"Well, there's a lot of us in the Squadron," Starling continued, "And well… Ravess and Snipe happen to be in Squadron one too…"

"Is that all," Aerrow stated with a sigh of relief, "For a moment I thought you were going to-WHAT!"

"Am I crazier than usual," Stork interjected, "Or did she just say we're now in the same squad with two ex-Cyclonians?"

"No," Piper replied in shock, "She said it…"

"I know it sounds bad," Starling replied, attempting to reassure the teens, "But trust me, they are loyal to Master Advent."

"When are we gonna meet this Advent lady anyway," Finn scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Soon," Starling nodded, "We're heading to the City Lumina on Terra Luminara now. That's where Master Advent and the rest of the squadron is. But I feel like I should maybe warn you about Master Advent and I should especially warn you about Aida…you see Aida-"

"What's going on here?" A man chirped entering the room. The sight of him made Aerrow and the rest of the Storm Hawks nearly have a heart attack. He was tall, with tan skin, magenta eyes, and bright, eccentric, pink hair and he was wearing a magenta uniform similar to Nova's. However it was his face that was so unbelievably surprising.

"This is Aida," Starling gestured dismally to the man who entered the room, "He's the Dark Ace's twin brother…And the carrier pilot of squadron one…"

"Did I miss something," The strange Ace clone inquired, looking at the suddenly pale faces of the Storm Hawks. And it was in that moment, Aerrow fainted.


	4. Chapter 3: Advent

Author's Note: Okay so first things first: Rather than taking thirty chapters to explain what's going on, I decided to just let out what the general plot in one big friggin Advent monologue (sorry for the poor plot introduction) Secondly:I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TEH FUCK THE DARK ACE'S REAL NAME IS! I've heard Tanner, Thorn, and _Slippy…_So I gave him a new name of my own. It's not accurate AT ALL, but I feel it's appropriate for him in my own mind :P Also, no offense to some of the crazy fans out there, but I think the Tanner/Thorn thing was fabricated by a fan and just caught on somewhere (ergo, if I don't hear and see Asaph Fipke say: The Dark Ace's real name is (insert name here)! Then I won't believe it, and the rest of you shouldn't believe it either.

Chapter III.

Advent

"Aerrow," Piper called, leaning over his face as he began wake up and snap back to reality, "It's okay guys! He's awake!"

"Tell me I'm dreaming," Aerrow groaned, rising up from off of the ground, and looking around the room, "How-how long was I out?"

"Six months," Finn replied jokingly, "Nah…I'm kidding, you've only been out for eleven minuets…"

"Sorry about the confusion," Aida began, slowly moving towards the group, "If it's any consolation to you, I haven't seen or heard from Anteres in years, even before he died."

"It's…" Aerrow began, trying to steady himself, "Fine…I just wasn't expecting… wait… Anteres?"

"That was his name," Aida replied sarcastically, as though Aerrow should have known that information, "Well that was before the idiot left the Azet Isles to join that Sky knight squadron!" Aida scoffed, obviously disapproving of the Dark Ace's decisions in life, "Maybe if he had moved stayed there with the rest of his family like I told him, he wouldn't have gotten himself blown up by that-"

"Aida!" Starling snapped, glaring over at him, "Watch yourself!"

"Right," Aida replied, looking down at the floor, "I'm sorry…I'm not usually like this…"

"Things have been tense around here," Starling explained, looking over to the rest of the Storm Hawks, "Not many of us really know what on earth is going on so naturally we sit on edge waiting for Advent to pull another stunt."

"Advent is your leader right?" Piper inquired, trying to make certain of Advent's identity.

"Yes," Starling nodded, "She holds dominion over every Twilight Knight squadron."

"But whatever it is Advent has planned for us and you," Aida began, sitting down in the seat next to Starling, "We're about to find out sooner rather than later."

"Advent knew all of us were asking questions," Starling stated, turning from Aida to the group, "So she told us that we'd be finding out today in the City Lumina."

"Which I'm sure the city bears some significance to what's going on in some

way," Aida stated indifferently, staring into space. He then snapped back to reality after a few moments of silence and rose from his chair. He then turned away from the group and headed towards the helm of the ship, "Well the Tempest isn't going to pilot itself…Stork, you're a carrier pilot…wanna give it a shot?" Aida inquired with a devious smile as he turned to the Merb, "That is, if you can handle her…"

"Can I handle her," Stork scoffed, accepting Aida's challenge as he headed over to the helm after Aida.

"She's all yours," Aida smiled, nodding to the helm. Stork took hold of the helm accordingly, and quickly found himself engrossed in guiding the vessel through the skies.

"What propulsion system is this?" Stork inquired, greatly admiring the Tempest's features.

"Isn't it fantastic!" Aida chirped, his eyes glittering with pride for his carrier, "You see…" Aida began, gesturing Stork to look towards some stork of system that the others couldn't really identify (considering they weren't engineers or carrier pilots).

"They'll be hard to split up," Piper laughed quietly as the pair began to rant and rave over propulsion systems, suspensions, and what Alloys were proper for either a faster ship, or a more durable one.

"What happened to the Condor anyway?" Aerrow suddenly asked, noticing that since he woke up thirty minuets ago, Stork had been surprisingly calm given the fact that they were not on the Condor.

"It's on the Twilight Knight's main carrier," Starling explained, "The Luxirious. When you were summoned from the Far Side, you were summoned from the Luxirious and from there Advent had you ordered to be transferred to the Tempest. Of course only Piper and Stork were conscious for the carrier transfer."

"A carrier for carriers?" Junko thought, thinking about the sheer sizes of both the Condor and the Tempest, while trying to comprehend both ships sharing a hangar bay with twelve other carriers of equal size, "That's got to be one huge carrier!"

"It's the size of a city!" Piper exclaimed, thinking about the magnificent sight of the airship when she first awoke.

"I'm sure you'll see it soon," Starling smiled, "After all, it's the central hub of the Twilight Knights."

"Starling!" Came a small voice from outside of the cockpit. The door to the residential quarters of the ship flew open and a small girl with dark pink hair rushed into the room. It was Sora, and she looked quite frazzled about something, "Starling! Sherekan is missing and I can't find him!"

"Perhaps he's just hiding," Starling replied, secretly wishing Sora would drop the subject and not worry about her pet so much. She placed a hand on Sora's shoulder, and looked down at her, "Maybe he just wants to be alone for a while."

"Sherekan doesn't hide!" Sora exclaimed in distraught, "He's a very needy animal that requires and demands vast amounts of attention!"

_My she's precocious!_ Aerrow thought raising an eyebrow, looking down at the ten year old girl. However, at that moment the same door slid open and Sherekan and Radaar stepped into the room, communicating in some strange animal-esque way by means of purrs and noises that only animals can understand.

"There you are!" Sora exclaimed as Sherekan leapt on to her shoulder, "It freaks me out when you leave like that!"

"Radaar!" Aerrow exclaimed as his companion leapt on to his shoulder too.

"By the way," Starling began with a slight smile, "This is Sora, and the six of you owe her one hell of a thank you."

"What for?" Finn scoffed, implying that no ten year old child could have done anything for him that was worth thanking. Starling and Piper gave him a disapproving look.

"Sora was the one who brought you back from the Far Side," Starling explained, proudly, "If it hadn't been for her, you wouldn't be here now."

"Wow…" Piper whispered looking down at the girl, trying to comprehend the sheer amount of power that she must be capable of at such a young age. And it was apparent by the rest of the squadron's faces that they felt the same way as Piper did.

"Don't look so impressed," Sora replied, looking down at the floor in shame and some disappointment in herself, "I passed out after I did it…and according to Master Advent, I didn't wake up for three days."

"I'm a little impressed that you did it at all," Piper replied quietly.

"Just because I'm only ten," Sora exclaimed, feeling defensive.

"That's not what she meant Sora," Starling explained, "Piper just meant that there aren't many adults out there that can do what you do."

"I'm sorry," Sora began, apologizing to Piper, "It's just people like to think little of me because…I'm little…"

"Hey!" Aida exclaimed, turning away from Stork and the Helm towards the rest of the group, "We'll be arriving at Terra Luminara and the City Lumina in five minuets!"

"Are you ready to meet the rest of the squadron?" Starling inquired.

"I think we're ready for just about anything," Aerrow replied, smiling confidently.

* * *

The City Lumina was bright, loud, and crowded. The city happened to be situated in an area of Atmos where the sun only rose for two hours of the day, so it was almost like a constant nightlife of clubs and casinos. And thus, the City Lumina was mainly an attraction based city for adults, where as Terra Neon is and attraction based terra for families and children. There wasn't a block you could walk down where there wasn't a club, casino, bar, or lounge. So, needless to say as the eight individuals (excluding animal company of course) walked through the streets, Sora felt rather out of place. She was clinging to Aida's arm, and he made sure that she was walking just barely in front of him, as though he didn't lose sight of her in the crowds of city goers.

"I hate Lumina," Aida exclaimed as the group made their way through the city, "I mean..it's always crowded...and who really feels the need to go to a nightclub at eleven a.m.!"

"I'm thinkin' those people," Finn replied, pointing to a nearby club with a line of people that streached down the block.

"Touche Lumina City..." Aida replied with a glare.

"Where are we going anyway?" Finn inquired, feeling as though they had been walking through streets for hours (which in truth, they had been walking quite a long time).

"There," Starling gestured, pointing to a large stadium in the centre of the city. It was being illuminated by flashing searchlights and it towered over the other buildings in the city.

"Hey!" Junko exclaimed, as his eyes fell upon the stadium, "That's the stadium where the Red Demon Palace tournament takes place!"

"Oh dude!" Finn exclaimed, tapping on Junko's shoulder, "I watch the fights every year!"

"Advent had the Stadium closed," Aida explained, as they moved closer towards the stadium, "I can only imagine what she's got planned for it."

The group then made their way up the stairs of the stadium, which had people flocked around it, but no one daring to try and go inside. There were several dozens of figures standing around the perimeter of the stadium, all wearing white silk hoods, quivers full of arrows, and holding ornate gold bows.

"Initiates," Starling whispered to the five teens as they approached the five figures guarding the door, "They're almost like entry level knights…most of the other squadrons consist of initiates."

The group walked past the initiates guarding the door, without so much as a word. Obviously they knew who they all were, on Advent's orders probably. Still, the teens of the Storm Hawks were now worried. They had no idea what they were going to find inside of that stadium, and after all there were two ex-cyclonians inside of the building as well. But still, they followed Aida and Starling accordingly.

The group filed into a small five by five room (which was probably some sort of elevator) that was at the opposite side of the registration room directly inside of the stadium. After everyone had filed in, Starling pressed a button that had a large 'A' written on its surface. The elevator shook and the group felt it descend downward. It then halted to a stop and the doors slid open. They found themselves inside of a dark corridor and painted upon the walls were the words "To section B" with an arrow pointing to the left, and "To section A" pointing to the right. Starling and Aida gestured them to follow them down the corridor to section A. They walked down the halls in silence for several moments before reaching a large opening in the wall, which lead directly into the arena.

The Storm Hawks looked down into the ring, where they saw nineteen Atmosians (including Nova, Snipe, and Ravess) of every shape, size, and race from all walks of life. But one woman caught their attention in particular. She was standing at the head of the small crowd, and judging by the way the others looked towards her, they assumed that this was Master Advent.

But what they found so strange, was that she looked exactly like and older Master Cyclonis. The only key difference was her ethereally white hair and ghostly pale skin,, not to mention her azure eyes. It looked as though someone had taken Cyclonis just as they had last seen her, and plunged her entire body in bleach. Advent was also older, at least by three years. But not to mention the most important detail about Advent's person, was that she had no right arm.

"So good of you to join us," Advent began, looking up at the stands and watching the group head down the steps and towards the centre of the Arena. Advent's voice was very different from Cyclonis's. It was warmer and more inviting, and her general presence was too graceful and wise. She was a complete polar opposite, "I trust that you are all well Storm Hawks?"

"W-we are…thank you…" Aerrow replied, not sure how to respond to Advent in general. It was painfully obvious that this woman was not Cyclonis in disguise. Even a good actor can't completely change their voice to someone else's. Not to mention that this woman was too old to be Cyclonis as well. Aerrow just couldn't quite figure out how the two were related.

"Good," Advent nodded accordingly, as the group reached the arena floor, "I'm sure you are at a loss as to what you're doing here…"

"We were told that the Twilight Knights need our help," Piper replied, taking a step towards the woman, "But no one told us with what…"

"Well that's because I haven't told anyone what's going on my dear," Advent replied in a hushed tone as she took a step towards Piper, "But that is exactly the reason the entire squadron is here!" Advent began, gesturing to the group around her. She then snapped her fingers and several initiates began to wheel out a rather large cage that was covered by a large black tarp. Something underneath however was growling and snarling madly as the group of initiates placed the cage in the centre of the arena. Advent then looked towards the initiates and gestured them to remove the tarp once the cage was in place. They did as she instructed, and revealed the beast inside of the cage.

It was over two stories tall and resembled some sort of mutated dog. The beast had two heads, no fur, and oily black skin with what looked like crystals growing out of the beast's skeleton and ripping through its skin. The creature was breathing green fire that also appeared to be erupting from its eyes as well. And last but not least, it reeked of what could only be classified as the stench of death.

"What is that!" A merb with dark gray fur exclaimed.

"This creature," Advent explained, looking to the caged beast, and then to her squadron, "Is called a Kor-Hound! Can anyone tell me where you can find a creature like this on Atmos!"

The group was deathly silent.

"That's right," Advent exclaimed, pointing to the creature, "There is no answer because these creatures do not reside in Atmos! Beasts like these only come from-"

"The Far Side," Aerrow interrupted direly, "I should know…I've seen plenty of them…"

"That's right," Advent replied, turning to him and smiling slightly, "Regardless, creatures of the Far Side are very hard to kill! Nova and I found this particular beast on Terra Amazonia, where it luckily could not do much harm! But I fear that this creature coming to our world was no inadvertent occurrence! There's only one person left on Atmos capable of bringing creatures through form the Far Side."

_Master Cyclonis!_ Aerrow thought angrily, clenching his fists.

"Cypress Dawnrunner!" Advent exclaimed. This surprised the Storm Hawks apparently as much as it did the rest of the Twilight Knights. The squadron began speaking to one another with confusion and worry.

"Cypress Dawnrunner! The first empress of Cyclonia!"

"I thought she died centuries ago!"

"It's not possible! She'd be over three hundred years old!"

"Listen!" Advent exclaimed, commanding the group's attention. They obliged accordingly, "Cypress has been using the resources of the Far Side to keep herself immortal all these years! She's been trapped in the far side for the past three centuries, but when her descendant, Master Cyclonis, opened the door, it gave Cypress the opportunity she needed to return to Atmos! And she now has the ability to open the door at will, so the better we can launch our defense for Atmos the better!"

"How will we be able to stop them Master Advent!" Ravess exclaimed from the crowd, "Surely with as much difficulty the Sky Knights had against Master Cyclonis's Far-Side army, Atmos won't stand much of a chance if Cypress orders an assault on Atmos! What makes you so sure we can stand up to whatever the Far Side can throw at us?"

"We have them," Advent explained, pointing towards Sora and the Storm Hawks.

"Them!" Two twin men exclaimed, looking towards the teens with an expression that read: Are you kidding me!

"What can we do that's so special?" Junko inquired, looking down at his hands, as though waiting for something fantastic to happen to them.

"I don't expect you all to understand immediately," Advent replied arrogantly, "But these six children are going to be much more helpful than any of you could ever fathom! None the less, now that you've been briefed…you are dismissed."

With those words, the group burst into and outrage, screaming at Advent as though they should have been told earlier (which they should have). Regardless, the squadron filed out of the Arena.

"Hold on," Advent called before Sora and the Storm Hawks could leave, "I dismissed my squadron…not you six…"

"We've got plans for you," Nova explained, standing next to her superior in front of the Kor-Hound's cage.

"I don't like where this is going," Sora whimpered. Piper placed a hand on her shoulder and Sora moved in closer towards her, out of fear.

"A long time ago," Advent explained calmly, moving towards the Storm Hawks, "Before any of you were even a thought…The Scryers of Terra Cyclonia foresaw that Terra Cyclonia would be used by the demonic legions of the Far-Side as an instrument of destruction for their conquest of Atmos. However, the first empress, Cypress, ignored the prophecy of the Scryers and called upon the demons of the Far Side to aid her in conquering the Atmos. During her conquest of Atmos during the First War, A demon by the name of Dar'Khan split himself in two and possessed Cypress, using her as his puppet, but giving her equal power. And as you all know from the History books, Cypress succeeded in conquering Atmos, at least for a little while…"

"The Twilight Knights defeated her," Aerrow replied, "All of the Sky Knights in Atmos banded together once and formed the Twilight Knights specifically for the purpose of defeating the Cyclonian Empire."

"But they did not fully succeed," Advent replied direly, "If you recall…They managed to kill Dar'Khan, releasing his hold on Cypress. But she retained all of his powers and his ability to control the armies of the Far Side, so the Twilight Knights managed to lock her and the Army behind the door to the Far Side. But as you now know, she's back. And that's where you come in…"

"I don't follow," Finn replied, completely lost in the conversation (because he obviously didn't pay much attention in history).

"The Scyers predicted that Cypress would come back," Advent replied, "And there would be a group of nine individuals powerful enough to stop her. A Sky Knight, a Ranger, a Scientist, a Scryer, a Crystal Mage, a Druid, a Grappler, a Rouge, and a Dark Ace…"

"Of course," Aerrow whispered to himself, looking down at the ground in frustration, "But he's-"

"Dead," Advent replied, "Of course I know that…but don't underestimate my skills…"

_She couldn't have brought him back to life!_ Piper thought, looking over the woman, _That's not possible!_

"But we do have one problem standing in out way," Nova began, gesturing the initiates to bring out their true guest of Honor. It was Cyclonis. She was chained and bound, glaring hatefully at the group. At this point, she didn't even seem human anymore.

"Cypress split herself in two before she was sent to the far side," Advent explained, looking down at the girl with a sorrowful expression, "As so she could live on in the future generations of Cyclonian rulers and eventually open the door to the far side to make her escape…but I'd like that to end today."

Cyclonis said nothing, she merely stared up at Advent, growling at her like some wild dog. Advent let out a sigh as she placed a hand on Cyclonis's head. She let out a growl and began to pull away.

"Don't lay a hand on me!" Cyclonis hissed.

"You poor soul," Advent whispered quietly, "Piper, this where I need you…"

"But what can I do?" Piper inquired, moving slowly towards them.

"She's entered your mind," Advent stated, not looking away from Cyclonis, "I want you to enter hers…and help me kill Cypress…"

"What!" Piper exclaimed, pulling back slightly.

"Don't be frightened," Advent replied calmly as she extended a hand out towards Piper. She took it accordingly as Advent firmly held her hand down on Cyclonis's head. The trio then began to glow a pale blue and before Piper could even think, she and Advent were inside of what appeared to be a dark sewer.

"Is this Cyclonis's mind?" Piper asked, looking around the area.

"Yes," Advent replied, shaking her head, "This is the area of the mind where her repressed memories reside, and where we will find Cypress's essence."

"But how will we kill her?" Piper asked as she followed Advent blindly throughout the corridors of the sewer. Advent said nothing, she merely handed Piper a clear crystal.

"You'll know what to do," Advent nodded. Piper said nothing, she merely took the crystal in hand and followed Advent. The two continued down the halls, when Advent suddenly stopped in front of a massive black cell inside of the sewer. Piper couldn't see anything inside of the sewer, except for a pair of large red eyes staring the pair down.

"_To whom do I owe the honor!" _The beast inside of the cell laughed.

"Silence," Advent snarled, "It's time that you leave this poor girl alone…she's been through enough…"

"_I'll decide if she's been through enough!"_ The beast bellowed, _"This proud vessel has enacted my will better than any Cyclonian empress!"_

"Piper now!" Advent exclaimed, as the beast inside of the cell tore the bars open with a slash of it's massive claws.

"AAH!" Piper screamed, holding the crystal out in front of her, hoping it would do something. But then, a beam of clear light shot from the Crystal, piercing the darkness and the beast. The creature screamed as the crystal began to suck the monster inside of it. Light then began to fill the area and engulfed the room, and as soon as it dissipated, the beast was gone, but the crystal was a blood red colour. Advent picked the crystal off of the ground, looked at it, and then looked to Piper with a smile across her face.

"Well done," Advent smiled, "Now let's leave, shall we?"

"Sounds good," Piper shivered, looking around the sewer. Advent placed a hand on her shoulder and the pair began to glow once again. Their surroundings began to melt away and the vision of the arena came back into view more clearly with each passing second. They then ceased glowing and Advent released her grip on Cyclonis. Advent let out a sigh as she let go of Piper and looked down towards the other girl.

Cyclonis said nothing, she simply stared into space. Advent gestured the initiates to release her from her shackles, and they obliged. Once Cyclonis was free, she fell down on to her knees. She then looked up at Advent, with an expression on her face that the Storm Hawks had never seen on her before. What they saw in her eyes, was pain, loss, and remorse. Cyclonis then began chocking on her words, as if she desperately wanted to shout something.

"W-what," She began, as a few tears began to stream down her face, "What have I done?"


	5. Chapter 4: Of Druids and Dryads

Author's Note: I am going to preface this chapter by saying that the beginning of this chapter (The part that starts after the _Chapter IV. _shizz) is kind of confusing. What I am trying to say is that even though it sounds like the Storm hawks are sharing one big room, I tried not to make it sound that way (they all have separate rooms on the tempest :/). OH OH OH! Also I forgot to mention this but (obviously) I draw a lot of my inspiration from (you guessed it) World of Warcarft, and the character Leto, is a Troll. So if you are having trouble picturing what he would look like, Google images: World of Warcraft Trolls :D

The air was thick and cold and the stench of death hung heavily in the air. The space was silent, all except for the sound of air blowing through the cavern. The corridors and caves were nearly black, except for the faint illumination given off by the large greenish crystals that were embedded in the rock walls.

"Anaxagoras!" a voice whispered throughout the cavern, "I've got a bad feeling about them! Thos two are not to be trusted!"

"I'll decide that," another replied angrily. The sound of their footsteps approached the centre of the cavern, but judging by the sound, there were three figures, not two. The three figures could hear the sounds of growls and snarls as they moved closer and closer towards the center. That's when they saw two large beasts blocking a completely blackened passage.

They were dog like and large, much larger than an ordinary dog should be. Their skin was oily and black, and it appeared as though they had no fur. They had a long stringy white mane that stretched down their backs and formed into their tails. Their paws were more like hands, with opposable digits and large ivory claws that protruded from their phalanges. Their eyes were red and piercing, and they matched the jagged crystals protruding from their joints.

"I don't like this Anaxagoras!" One of the figures exclaimed. And at that moment, the beasts began running towards the three figures, looking as though they were out for blood. But before they could get very close, the three figures heard a whistling sound, and the beasts ceased their running and sat down before the trio with their heads down.

"What just happened!" The same figure inquired frantically.

"They were ordered by their master," the third figure explained, finally speaking.

"So good of you to join us," A woman began, holding on to a rather large white crystal that was exuding a descent amount of light. She was tall and thin, with long ebony hair that fell at about her mid back. She was wearing a black leather jerkin that was cut off at her midriff, along with leggings and boots to match.

"Meno…" The first man replied, giving her a slight bow as his eyes fell upon the woman. It was at this point that she could get a good look at the three men. They were all identical in the face, possibly triplets, but their were discerning features to them as well. The first of the men had long white hair, pale violet eyes, and was dressed in a white uniform that clung to his skin. The second had short, fiery red hair and golden eyes, and was dressed in a form-fitting black uniform. The last of the men was slightly shorter than the other two, with long pale blue hair and reddish eyes, wearing a dark blue robe.

"Master Cypress is looking forward to meeting the three of you," Meno explained, as she gestured the three men and the beasts to follow her into the dark cavern. One they had all stepped inside, a massive greenish crystal illuminated, filling the room with a toxic green light. At the centre of the massive collection of green crystals that towered over the room, was what appeared to be a throne made from the crystal itself. There was a pale, sickly looking woman wearing a black gown sitting on the throne. She was maybe no older than nineteen.

"Master Cypress," The man in white began, bowing before the vision.

"Anaxagoras," Cypress began, weakly arising from her throne, "It has come to my understanding that you wish to join me in my quest…"

"Yes master," Anaxagoras began, looking up at her with his pale violet eyes.

Cypress said nothing, she merely smiled as she lifted a greenish and amulet up to her eye level. She placed the amulet around Anaxagoras's neck and he rose to his feet.

"You may keep the amulet," Cypress began with a smile, "But first, you have to prove yourself…you and your reinforcements."

"Name it Master," Anaxagoras began, looking towards her with pride.

"I'm not much longer for this world in this current physical state," Cypress explained, "My silly sister Advent has the other half of my soul…and she weakened me when she removed it from my descendant…I want you to bring it back and bring me a new vessel for my spirit…"

"Yes my master," Anaxagoras replied with a bow.

"Meno…" Cypress hissed, "You will go with them! And do not return without both items in your possession!"

"Yes Master Cypress," Meno bowed, walking out of the cavern, Nero following her.

"Anaximenes!" Nero exclaimed, turning to the other two men, "Anaximander… come with me!"

Chapter IV.

Of Druids and Dryads

The morning began with a start as the sound of Nova's voice sounding through the ships intercom and resonating throughout the halls of the ship awoke the many residents of the vessel.

"Seriously?" Finn grumbled, looking over towards the clock in his new room. He saw that it was three o'clock in the morning, and he let out a groan as he rolled back over and went back to sleep.

"Is she crazy…" Piper grumbled, rising out of her bed as well to look at the clock.

"This isn't happening," Aerrow growled, listening to Nova's voice over the intercom as he threw his pillow over his head and pushed it into his ears.

"Not cool…" Junko groaned, looking over at the clock in his room.

"I can only imagine what the others are thinking," Stork laughed to himself, staring up at his ceiling as Nova's voice resounded through the ship.

"_I repeat_!" Nova continued into the intercom system, "_We will be arriving at Terra Phusis in less than an hour! Be in the Hangar Bay, ready for departure in twenty minuets for briefing!_"

It didn't take the Storm Hawks long to ready themselves. After all, they were used to doing stuff like that on a moments notice. The five teens (and Radaar) were down in the Hangar bay within ten minuets of Nova's announcement, however, they were the last to arrive.

"Man," Finn whispered to Junko as they walked into the room, "These people are hardcore!"

"I know!" Junko whispered in reply, "I wonder how we're even gonna keep up!"

"As you know," Advent began, pacing herself in front of her squadron, "Today we will be visiting the Dryadic Terra Phusis! As we did on Terra Wyndia, we will be assessing and evaluating specific Druids to join our squadron."

"Remember what Advent said to us in the arena?" Piper whispered as the four boys leaned in to hear what she had to say, "One of the nine people that can defeat Cypress is supposed to be-"

"A druid!" Aerrow exclaimed, "That's why we're going to Terra Phusis! Not to recruit more initiates!"

"The Druids of Terra Phusis are some of the most powerful in the world," Advent continued, "And they're also some of the most merciless…If you happen to be separated from the Squadron and encounter one…do not attack it."

"If that's all you have to say Master Advent," Nova began, stepping forward towards the rest of the squadron, "I believe now is the appropriate time to divide the Squadron."

_Divide the squadron!_ The Storm Hawks all thought, with a look of confusion and a bit of fear painted across each of their faces.

"Right," Advent nodded, smiling politely.

"Okay," Nova exclaimed, "Storm Hawks! You'll be with me! So will Sora, Cyclonis, Aida, and Leto." Nova continued as she gestured the group to follow her to their skimmers. They could hear Advent and another woman calling out to the squadron, as in which of the two was claiming which knight.

But as they were walking to their rides, Piper noticed something out of the corner of her eye. It was Cyclonis. She was looking down at the ground as she walked, not really paying much attention to where she was going. She looked as though she hadn't slept all night. Her eyes were red and puffy and she wasn't wearing any make up. She also wasn't dressed like her usual self. She was wearing a pale purple strapless top and basic black skirt with a pair of onyx boots, and generally, she looked very normal.

"Oh that's right," Nova thought, as she stopped in front of the six skimmers in front of her, "You four don't have rides…"

"Duh Nova!" Aida bantered playfully, "Carrier pilots don't need those puny things to get around!" Finn had the irritable urge to say 'That's what she said' at that moment, but the look on Piper's face definitely persuaded him otherwise.

"Fine," Nova scoffed, "Aida why don't you ride with me. Stork can ride with Finn, Sora can ride with Piper and-" Nova stopped. She observed the looks on Junko and Aerrow's faces. She could tell that both of them were highly uncomfortable with the idea of taking Cyclonis to the Terra. Piper also noticed.

"Cyclonis can come with me," Piper exclaimed reluctantly. Finn looked stunned, Junko looked confused, Stork looked indifferent, and Aerrow wasn't sure how to react.

"I don't think she'll have to," Nova continued, smiling at a figure rushing towards the group from behind. Sora caught a quick glimpse of him, and then she turned around to get a full view, with her mouth agape.

"WOAH!" Sora exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with wonder at the towering creature before her, "Who are you!"

"So nice of you to join the rest of us Leto," Nova replied, smiling arrogantly.

"Woman," He growled in an islander accent, looking down at her, "You just be askin' for it now…" He was nearly seven feet tall when he stood at his full height (but he had an issue with slouching), with long arms that nearly touched the ground as he walked. His skin was scaly and rough and had a bluish tone. His hair and sideburns were bright reddish-orange and stuck out in every direction wildly. A set of large ivory tusks protruded from his mouth his tired green eyes glared disdainfully at Nova from over his long and pointed nose as he moved towards his skimmer.

"You don't object to Miss Cyclonis riding with you do you?" Nova replied, obviously not caring if he minded or not.

"…" Leto replied with a growl, "You comin' or not mon?" He grumbled, looking over towards Cyclonis, who was lost in her thoughts.

"Yes," She replied quietly, snapping back to reality for a moment, but the look of guilt never left her face the entire time.

"What 'chya lookin' at mon?" Leto growled, as he noticed Finn and Junko staring at the human-like creature as he walked towards his extra large skimmer. Junko looked terrified (despite the fact that he could probably take on Leto in a fight), and Finn looked white in the face, which caused Leto to burst into laughter "I'm not gon' to hurt ya mon!" he laughed, slapping Finn and Junko on the back, "At least not today…"

"So you're a Troll?" Piper inquired, fascinated by Leto, "I've read all about Trolls. You must have an extensive knowledge of certain types of Crystal Mastery!"

"Ya," Leto replied, "My people be gifted crystal shamans mon…but I be more of a warrior…not wastin' my time on fancy rocks…"

"If you all wouldn't mind," Nova began, interrupting the conversation as she and Aida climbed on to her thin, sleek, black skimmer, "We have a terra to visit…"

"Right," Piper replied, as Leto walked away from her and climbed on to a large crimson skimmer that Cyclonis could barely get on too herself.

Once everyone was mounted and ready to fly, the Hangar Bay hatch opened to reveal a collection of gray clouds that floated in the air below the tempest. Nova revved the engine of her skimmer and accelerated, driving straight out of the hangar and into the clouds, the large black wings of her skimmer expanding as the vehicle went into the void below. The others followed after her into the clouds and soon after Nova's group, a wave of skimmers followed them down into the storm.

* * *

"I read somewhere that Druids aren't particularly friendly to non-druids," Piper began, looking around the forest their group was heading deeper and deeper in to. But it wasn't like any normal forest. The trees were completely white, with crystalline leaves and bark that was luminescent. Even the insects that flew by seemed to glow. Over all, the place was beautiful, but also eerie. You see, it was rather quiet for a forest teeming with life.

"Druids are…intolerant for lack of a better word," Nova explained, "But the Dryadic races of Atmos owe the Twilight Knights a favor."

"That's great!" Aerrow exclaimed, "That makes-" But he was cut off in mid sentence by the sound of an arrow whirring through the air, and landing before his feet.

"We're under attack!" Junko exclaimed, pulling out his Knuckle Busters.

"Ya tink mon!" Leto exclaimed, pulling out two scimitars.

The rest of the group drew out what defenses they had. Sora pulled on a pair of gloves with several runes inscribed in a circle on the surface of the fabric and lifted up a crystal to her eye level. Nova held up two sleek silver guns with bluish crystals sticking out at the end of their barrels. Aida had a pouch on the side of his leg that was full of stilettos, which he held three between each of his fingers. But Stork was without a weapon and Cyclonis was without a crystal to bind to anyone, so they stayed in the centre of the defensive huddle that the others had created.

Then, a group of maybe fifteen figures, leapt out from within the shadows of the trees. All of the figures were men, except for one young woman who was apparently their leader. All of them were pale with emerald eyes and light silvery grey hair, and wearing adequately cloaks made of the crystalline leaves that hung on the trees. They all had spears, bows, and quivers strapped to their backs that were full of simple wooden arrows.

"Ish ni allum," One of the men began walking towards the woman, pointing a spear at the group, "Tiem t'am kana…"

"All'owen ni asa Tien," The woman replied calmly, gesturing the man to step away. Her voice was calm and gentle and her general presence was not as threatening as the others. She was very beautiful, and maybe twenty. She was quite short, maybe five feet, three inches. She was also very curvaceous, which was odd, considering most women in Atmos were not so. Her hair was cut short and a pair of soft white canine ears were sticking out of her head. Aerrow didn't know how he knew this, but he knew that she was the druid that they were searching for.

"Anyone know what they're saying?" Sora quivered, looking into the angry faces of the druids.

"Cyclonis!" Piper exclaimed, turning around towards her, "You're good with interpreting languages right?" Aerrow shot Piper a loot out of the corner of his eye, and Piper shot him a look back that said: What! She _is_!

"Sort of," She replied quietly, pushing her way out of the group and moving towards the woman. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth as though to speak, "Shi'in s-sama ni f-falla…falla…falla ein tar…er…uhm…tar'targa?"

"Shi'on sama…" The woman nodded politely, "I do speak your tongue…I applaud you though, not many outside of Terra Phusis know Dryadic…"

"Thank you," Cyclonis replied quietly, with a slight smile.

"I'm Cloud," The woman explained, "Forgive me…my warriors have a tendency to be overprotective of these lands…But what may I ask are you doing here?"

"My name is Tarja Nova," Nova explained, holding out a hand to Cloud, "Second in command for the Twilight Knights…we need to speak to your arch-druid."

"Then follow me," Cloud began, gesturing them to follow her deeper into the woods. But before she began walking, she turned to her warriors, "Ish on'orae!" The warriors then looked to her then, at one another as they lowered their weapons and followed their leader into the woods.

"That went quicker than expected," Aida laughed, breaking the following silence as the group headed into the woods. The group didn't walk for very long before they found themselves within a massive settlement in the centre of the forest. There were hundreds of large trees that towered several stories over the forest. Inside the trunks were everything from shops to homes. At the centre of the settlement was the tallest of the trees, which was where Cloud was leading the group to. However, as they walked through the settlement, many of its citizens stared at the small group as though they were dangerous. Mothers were directing their children away from them as though they were monsters. This unsettled the Storm Hawks. They weren't used to that kind of treatment, and neither were Aida or Sora. It didn't seem to bother Nova, and as for Leto and Cyclonis, they were used to being regarded as monsters.

Cloud took the group to the large tree in the centre of the city and they walked under the large opening where the tree's roots met the ground and entered the tree. Inside was a vast system of floating elevators powered by crystals. One of the elevators floated down to the ground level of the tree building and the elevator's operator gestured them to step on. The obliged and climbed on to the elevator platform made from a large slice of wood. The operator pointed a crystal up at the crystal controlling the platform and a beam formed between them. The platform then began to rise up quickly, ascending to the top of the tree.

Once it reached the top, the group stepped off of the platform and into a large hallway. At the end of the hall was a set of large doors painted with gold leaf. Cloud walked down the hall and pushed open the doors. Inside of the room beyond the door, was a long white table with many familiar faces sitting around it.

"It's about time Nova," Advent smiled as the others entered the room, sitting to the right of the head of the table, "I didn't expect you to be the first to find the druid city…but I didn't exactly expect you to be the last…"

"Slipping aren't you Nova," A woman sitting to the left of the head chuckled darkly. She was tall and thin with tan skin, bright red hair, golden eyes and a gold and crimson Sky Knight uniform. They had seen her before at the arena, even on the Tempest in passing, and she was the other woman with Advent dividing the squadron.

"Cyrus," Nova replied, glaring at her as she moved to sit at the table. The others followed her and observed the man sitting at the head of the table. He was extremely old, with long white hair and beard that fell on the floor. His robe was a silvery gray colour and he wore some sort of dryadic headdress.

"It has come to my attention that you are in need of a druid then Advent?" The old man quaked, looking over towards her.

"I am," Advent nodded politely. At that moment, Cloud felt it was no longer appropriate to stay, so she turned to leave the room.

"Wait my child," The old man quaked, just before Cloud was gone. She said nothing, she merely turned and moved back into the room, "Miss Advent may require your assistance."

"How old are you my dear?" Advent inquired, rising from her chair and walking towards the girl.

"Excuse me?" Cloud replied, taken aback by the question.

"How old are you?" Advent smiled, repeating herself once again. Cloud looked as though she didn't want to answer (after all it was a personal question).

"I'm seventy," Cloud stated calmly.

"She said seventeen right?" Finn whispered to Piper.

"No…" Piper replied flatly, "She said she was seventy…"

"She's seventy in dog years right…" Junko then added. Piper and Aerrow then looked towards both of them and at the same time, both sighed: "No…"

"Sister Cloud is one of the youngest and most accomplished druids in the grove," The old man explained.

"That's what we're looking for," Cyrus smiled, rising form her seat as well, "Are you sure that Cloud is the youngest Druid in your…city?" Cyrus inquired haughtily.

"She is not of course," The old man replied, "I'm sure that you have seen there are children that reside in this city."

"That's not what I meant," Cyrus snapped, turning away from the old man.

"I'm not sure what you're asking," Cloud began, "But I know everything there is that the master druids have to teach…and it's true that I'm the youngest master druid in the grove."

"And that's all the information we need," Advent replied with a slight smile, "How would you like to join the Twilight Knights?"

* * *

"Funny how I've only been here for an hour and I'm already about to be put to work," Cloud laughed slightly as she followed Advent down a hallway in the Tempest. Cloud no longer had on her leaf cloak. Instead she was now wearing a white hide top that exposed her midriff and a pair of shorts and boots to match. There was a black collar around her neck and attached to the collar was a fur sporran and a small clear crystal embedded in the fur. She had a silk sarong decorated with silvery glass beads wrapped around her waist. There were two leather bands wrapped around her upper arms, with black feathers sewn on to the sides. And in addition to her pearl white canine ears, she also had a tail, that flicked around wildly, as though it had a mind of its own.

"It comes with the job," Advent explained, stopping in front of a door in the medical wing, "Actually…I'm in need of a healer…and Druids have the ability to heal if I'm not mistaken."

"We do," Cloud nodded, "But I didn't know anyone needed to be healed."

"Not that you've seen," Advent began, opening the door to the room. Cloud entered once the door had opened and walked to the opposite side of the white room, where she saw a man laying lifeless in a bed. He was hooked up to a respirator and there was an I.V. in his arm, along with many other machines he had been hooked up too.

"Technology and science can only help us so much," Advent explained as Cloud looked over at the man.

"He's the one you brought back from the dead," Cloud sighed, gently placing a hand on his face.

"Yes," Advent replied, touching the right sleeve of her gown, where her arm should have been, "But as I said…there was only so much I could do…I need your help now."

"Then I'll ask you to leave," Cloud replied, "I can't help him if you're here…"

"I'll respect your wishes," Advent replied, gliding out of the room and closing the door behind her. Cloud then waited till she was sure she was alone with the man. She then climbed on to the hospital bed, regardless of all the wires and machines that he was attached to. She straddled her legs over his body and placed her arms on each side of him as well. She then lowered her face towards him and touched her forehead against his and closed her eyes. The pair began to glow slightly and after a few moments they stopped and Cloud climbed off of the bed. She then leaned over the side of the bed and waited for him to awake.

"… …" He groaned after several minuets of silence and he began to open his eyes. The pair stared at each other for a few moments. Her emerald eyes met his crimson, and she saw the confusion in his eyes. She gave him a slight smile and pushed a strand of black hair out of his face, "Who are you?" He asked quietly.

"I'm Cloud," She replied gently, placing a hand on his face.

"Oh…" He replied, sounding weak, "Am I dead?"

"No," Cloud replied, "You're alive…and you're going to be alright…but I'm afraid I don't even know you're name…"

"An…" He began, breathing heavily, and phasing in and out of consciousness, "An…Ater…Dark…"

"Dark?" Cloud asked, trying to keep him conscious, "You're name is Dark?"

"No," He replied quietly, "My name…is…is the Dark Ace…"

"The Dark Ace?" Cloud asked, "But that can't be-" but before she could ask another question, he fell unconscious once again.


	6. Chapter 5: The Luxirious

Author's Note: I only have one thing to say (but it's a lot so here I go): Things are about to get very…I guess 'graphic' for lack of a better word from this point on (okay well not like...uber immediately but you get the idea), and considering there is no OT (older teen) rating, like most Mangas have, I just rated it T because really needs to reconsider their rating guidelines. I guess if the violence/language/sex (because it is going to start getting a lot worse from here on out) starts bother you, send me a PM saying so and I'll either change the rating or try and dull it down to the best of my ability in future chapters.

Chapter V.

The Luxirious, The Floating City

"Hey Aerrow!" Aida shouted from across the flight deck as Aerrow and Radaar entered the room early the next morning, "I got something you might be interested in!"

"Hmm?" Aerrow thought as he walked towards him. Aida was holding on to a small leather collar with some sort of device hooked up to the centre, "What is it?"

"Something for Radaar," Aida smiled, kneeling down to the creature's level. He moved to place the collar on Radaar's neck, but he was reluctant to accept Aida's gift. He looked to Aerrow, who nodded with approval, and Radaar let Aida place the collar on his neck, "Now say something…" Aida gestured to Radaar as he stood up at his full height.

"Like what?" A small mechanical voice asked.

"Yeah," Aerrow added, "What's he supposed to say? I mean Radaar can't…." He stopped himself in mid sentence, and looked down at his companion, "Did you just speak!"

"I think so," the mechanical voice replied. Radaar was looking at Aerrow, and even though his mouth had not move, the device strapped to the collar was glowing as the small mechanical voice began to speak.

"That's amazing!" Aerrow exclaimed, as Radaar hopped on to his shoulder.

"It's a speech collar," Aida explained, turning up the volume on the collar, "I got the idea when I first met Sora and Sherekan…You know how she always talks to him as though he can respond back? Well I thought, what if Sherekan could! So I made them the prototype collar, and remembered that Radaar didn't speak either! So I managed to make another!"

"So how does it work?" The tiny mechanical voice asked.

"I'm glad you asked!" Aida smiled, turning away from the two and reaching for something on the table before him, "You see I know that sound travels through a medium via waves and frequencies so I-"

"C'mon," Aerrow said, turning his head to Radaar, "let's go show the others!"

"Sound's like a plan!" Radaar's collar responded as he gave Aerrow a nod of approval. The pair then walked out of the flight deck, leaving Aida by himself, still talking about the mechanism.

"And then," Aida continued turning around to face them, but sadly they were gone, "Hey!" he growled, looking around the area, "Why do they always leave mid-explanation!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the sleeping quarters of the ship, Piper was heading down the hall of the women's wing, holding a towel under her right arm. She was wearing a bathrobe that she had borrowed from Starling until she had the chance to acquire one of her own. She stopped in front of one of the many bathrooms on the ship and moved to open the door. However, the sound of something inside stopped her. It sounded like someone inside was vomiting.

"Hello," Piper began, tapping on the door, "Are you okay in there?" At that moment, the door flung open. Cyclonis was inside, and she wiped something from the corner of her mouth, before moving out of Piper's way and rushing down the hallway, without a word. In truth, she looked even worse today than she had yesterday. She was paler, her eyes were puffier and redder, and there were large, dark, circles around her eyes.

"She's been making herself sick," Someone explained from behind Piper. She jumped slightly, and turned to face her addressor. It was Ravess, but she didn't look angry or filled with disdain at the sight of Piper, "I noticed she used to do that back on Cyclonia whenever something had her entirely too stressed or worried."

"Oh," Piper replied nervously. It's not that Ravess wasn't being civil or that Piper was completely opposed to the idea of accepting her as an equal, it was just awkward, "I couldn't imagine that would happen to her very often."

"More than you'd think," Ravess replied, with a weak smile. She then noticed the look on Piper's face throughout the duration if the conversation, and spoke once more, "I can understand if I make you feel awkward…actually I can understand your whole situation makes you feel uncomfortable…but hear me out for a moment. Whether or not my brother has the same intentions involving the Twilight Knights as I do, that's to be decided. But I'm trying to atone for some of the things I've done in the past. If my being present still bothers you after knowing that, then I'll keep a respectful distance-"

"It's not that," Piper interrupted, looking down at the ground, "It has nothing to do with the personal vendetta we held…it has to do with my prejudice…that's all."

"You're not as prejudicial you think," Ravess replied respectfully as she moved past Piper and continued down the hallway, "Because if you were…you wouldn't be here!" She called, just before she left the hallway. Piper let Ravess's comment sink in for a minuet, and then smiled and nodded as she walked into the bathroom.

On the other side of the ship Sora and Sherekan sat in the botanical room on the lower deck of the ship, using the many species of flowers and plants that grew inside in her runeology spells. She placed a handful of bird of paradise flowers, a lily, and a hibiscus branch and placed them neatly in a pile on the ground. She then hunted for one of the many crystal shards in the small bag she wore at her side, searching for the right one. She then found a pale blue one and placed it neatly on top of the flowers. She pulled on her glove with the circle of runes sewn on to it, and placed her hand on top of the pile. One of the runes began to glow and the same rune appeared on the ground beneath the flowers. In a flash of light, the crystal shard and the flowers were gone, and in its place was a scarf that appeared to be fashioned out of petals.

"There!" Sora smiled, looking over her work, thinking that she was alone, "Isn't that lovely?"

"Quite!" A tiny mechanical voice, much like Radaar's newly founded one sounded, "Your skills are admirable Sora."

"Thanks Sherry," Sora smiled, stroking the cat's ears.

"How'd you do that!" They both exclaimed, walking into the room, staring with fascination at Sora's scarf.

"Hi Junko!" Sora smiled, wrapping the scarf around her neck, "Hi Finn! What are you guys doing down here?"

"Exploring the Tempest," Finn replied flatly, more interested in Sora's sorcery, "But seriously! Like…how'd you do that!"

"With Runeology," Sherekan replied.

"Is that like what Piper can do with crystals?" Junk asked, sitting down on the grass next to Sora. Finn sat down as well as Sora gathered some more various types of flowers for another reaction.

"No," Sora smiled, "That's crystal magic…" She laughed, placing another shard down on a pile of flowers, "This is a science…Yeah I made a scarf out of petals…but I can't make it bigger or fancier. Your output has to be equal to your input."

"Then were does the crystal come in?" Finn asked as Sora readied herself to make something else. She placed her hand on the pile, just as she had done before, and in a flash of light, a hat fashioned from petals was now in the place of where the flowers had been. Sora placed it proudly on her head, and she looked as though she was wearing some elaborate, spring-themed, winter wear.

"You need energy of some kind," Sora explained, turning to Finn, "Stuff can't change physically without some kind of outside force causing it to do so. So Symbologists and Runeologists use crystals in reactions because of the energies contained in them. In fact, the crystal does most of the work, we scientists just tell it what to do…we're more like instructors really." She laughed, laying down on the grass, staring up at the simulated ceiling.

"You're a smart kid," Junko replied, laying down on the grass also.

"So I've been told," Sora replied, her joyful expression fading.

"There's no way I'd be able to learn all that stuff," Finn replied, scratching his head, "It sounds majorly confusing-" But before he could continue with his thought, something caught his eye, "Uh…hi…" He called, a little surprised by her presence.

"I thought no one was in here," Cyclonis replied quietly, standing only a few feet from the door. She turned away from them, as though to leave.

"You don't have to go!" Sora chirped, feeling a little saddened by the fact that she didn't want to be near anyone.

"No," Cyclonis replied, her body half facing them and half facing the door, "I really think that I should just-"

"Sit down will ya!" Finn scoffed, not looking at her, "You can't avoid us forever!" Cyclonis didn't say anything. Somehow she knew that in his own way, Finn was offering her an olive branch, and was giving her the chance to make amends. So, she figured she shouldn't blow it, and she sat down with the group.

"That's impressive work Sora," She stated quietly, giving casual glances to everyone in the circle.

"Thanks," Sora smiled, placing a crystal Shard on to the ground. She placed her hand over the shard and a different rune began to glow on her glove this time. The crystal sank into the ground once Sora removed her hand and flowers had begun arising from the earth.

"Wow!" Junko exclaimed, watching them grow before his eyes.

"That's so cool!" Finn whispered.

"I could always teach you guys the basics if you want," Sora smiled, plucking the flowers and tying them together by their stems, "I mean…you won't be able to do what I can do…but I can show you how to transfigure things, change the appearance of stuff… and its pretty easy once you get the hang of it…there we go!" Sora smiled, looking over her flower chain. She tied both ends of the chain together and leaned over, placing the chain around Cyclonis's neck.

"Thanks," Cyclonis replied, looking down at the necklace and giving Sora a weak smile.

"We've reached the Luxirious," Stork's voice boomed throughout the Loudspeakers of the Tempest, "We'll be docking momentarily!"

"It didn't take Stork very long to take over as pilot," Junko laughed, listening to the announcement.

"Who knows," Finn shrugged, "Aida might be enjoying the break."

"Actually," Sora explained, "Even though I haven't known Aida that long, he told me that the ship he usually pilots is the Luxirious…the Tempest is what our squadron uses when Advent wants to travel without the other Twilight Knight squadrons."

"Why are we going to this cruiser carrier anyway?" Finn asked.

"It was attacked last night," Cyclonis explained quietly, "I was with my g- Advent I mean, when we received the distress call."

"No way!" Finn exclaimed, looking over towards her.

"Apparently there were only four," Cyclonis explained, "They attacked everyone who was in the hangar bay, damaged a few carriers, and kidnapped an initiate. But I think they'll be back…"

"For what?" Sora asked, a little frightened.

"We should get to the hangar bay," Cyclonis replied, ignoring Sora's question as she rose to her feet and moved to leave the botanical room.

* * *

"WOAH!" Sora, Cloud, and the Storm Hawks exclaimed as they stepped out of the hangar bay of the Tempest and into the hangar bay of the Luxirious.

"This place is so…" Stork began with awe, looking around and admiring the general splendor.

"Yeah it's pretty big," Piper continued, looking up at the ceiling of the hangar bay, which must have loomed hundreds of feet over their heads. Just as the tempest was though, the Luxirious was crafted from a bright, white metal, making the entire hangar bay glow as ships, cruisers, carriers, and skimmers of all shapes and sizes pulled in and out of the craft.

"Welcome to the floating city," Starling smiled, moving closer towards the group of first time visitors, "It's impressive isn't it?"

"It's…" Aerrow began, "A lot to take in…but in a good way."

"That's how I reacted during my first visit," Starling smiled, "But this is nothing …wait till you see the rest of the ship."

"I doubt you'll be seeing much more than the hangar bay," Advent added, listening in on the conversation, "We won't be here for very long." Advent then gestured the squadron to look towards her, which of course they did (for whenever Advent said 'jump' surely enough her squadron would without question), "No one is to leave the hangar bay until Cyrus, Nova, and I return. Am I clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" The squadron replied, saluting Advent.

"Good," She nodded, "Then we will return within the hour…" She concluded as She, Cyrus, and Nova headed towards the opposite side of the Hangar.

"Why the hell did she drag us all the way here if the only people allowed inside the rest of the ship are Nova and the witch!" A tall rabkin exclaimed (for those of you who are unsure of what a rabkin are, they're humanoid beings with rabbit-like characteristics, such as large ears, a short tail, short fur, and face). She was rather thin and had pale grey fur and emerald eyes. She was wearing a similar uniform to many of the other knights, only hers was black and forest green.

"Because Jynx," A tall, and lanky Merb with dark grey fur, dark hair, and amber eyes, wearing a solid black uniform snapped, "Advent couldn't very well leave the Tempest and her squadron unattended and defenseless…face it…we're useless without those three…even if Cyrus is a total bitch."

"Who are those two?" Aerrow asked Starling quietly, nodding towards the Merb and the Rabkin who were arguing.

"The rabkin is Jynx," Starling explained, "And the Merb is Nypherious, he's a captain and Jynx used to be a warp gate commissioner on Terra Anu."

"Oh," Aerrow nodded.

"I'm just sayin'," Aerrow then heard Leto grumble. He turned around and observed the young woman he happened to be speaking to. She was young, maybe twenty, with pale blonde hair and pale skin to match and light green eyes. She wasn't very tall, maybe five feet at most and she was wearing a black dress that cut off at the knee with a pair of simple black shoes, "I don't undastand why dey be treatin' Nikolai like he's not dat important."

"It's true that he's just as important as Cyrus," She replied with a light and airy voice, "But Cyrus has been a commander longer than Nikolai…"

"It just don' make sense to me Aru," Leto replied, slouching slightly as so he could look her in the eyes, "But den again…I don' like ta get involved in politics…"

"I think that's wise," Aru replied with a slight laugh.

Aerrow watched the two speak, and then he let his eyes wander, looking at all the faces he had yet to meet. Aida and Cyclonis were talking to a man, about the same age as Aida, wearing a cyan and black uniform, with short hair to match. But Aerrow already knew this person. His names was Innes, and he only knew that because Aida had spoken to him quite often on the Tempest, and he had spoken his name quite a few times. Starling then noticed Aerrow surveying all of the unfamiliar faces, and she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"The woman talking to Leto is names Aru," Starling whispered, pointing in her direction, "She's fifth in command. And the man Aida is talking to is Innes…he's also a carrier pilot, and truth be told He and Aida have a bit of a crush on one another."

"Aida and Innes are…" Aerrow whispered back to her with a little bit of surprise, "Are gay!"

"Bisexual," Starling replied, "I'm surprised you couldn't tell by looking at them… Anyway…See the two talking to Cloud?" Starling inquired. Aerrow scanned the crowd for Cloud until he found her. There were two ghostly pale figures speaking with her. The first was a young man of maybe twenty five, with slightly longer and disheveled white hair. His face had smudges of dirt and oil splattered across it and he was wearing a dark grey jumpsuit that was just as dirty as his face. He was also wearing thick work gloves and was gripping a wrench. The other was a young girl of perhaps thirteen. She had ghostly pale skin like the man next to her and the same white hair, that fell elegantly around her face. She was wearing a white sundress and white sandals, and although appearances can be deceiving, Aerrow did not picture her as the fighting type, "That's Jean and his younger sister Fontine. Jean's the head engineer of the Tempest, and Fontine is a crystal prodigy."

"What about them?" Aerrow asked, pointing to three other men who entered the merb Nypherious and the rabkin Jynx's conversation. The first was a man of about twenty eight, with dusty black hair, pale skin, and gold eyes. His uniform was black, like most of the Twilight Knight uniforms were, but also consisted of colored fabrics that matched his hair. The other two were identical twin men, about the ages of nineteen. They had pale, almost translucent skin, and dusty blonde hair with violet eyes. Their uniforms were also identical, bearing the colours black and burgundy.

"The twins are Neviaan and Nevan," Starling nodded, "They're officers, and as for the other, that is Victor…he's quite the colorful character."

"It's funny," A voice began from behind the pair, "That you don't know anyone here, but everyone here knows you."

He was a very tall and broad man with sepia toned skin and a thick neck. His head was shaved and his entire body was covered in ivory tattoos. He had many piercings as well across his eyebrows, ears, and a few in his nose. His uniform was dark orange and burgundy, and wrapped around his torso was a tribal sash woven into a certain pattern. Next to him was a short woman, with a curvaceous figure and dark skin resembling Piper's. Her uniform was bright, consisting of various shades of orange, green, and yellow, and she too was wearing an identical sash as the man next to her. A bright orange headband kept her long ebony out of her face. Both figures however were much older than anyone else on the ship and they looked to be in their late thirties.

"Aerrow this is Nikolai and his wife Zelkova," Starling smiled.

"Next in command after Cyrus," Nikolai smiled, extending a large hand out towards Aerrow. He took it and shook accordingly.

"It's an honor sir," Aerrow replied.

"Please," Zelkova laughed, holding her hand up to him, "We should be more honored to be in your presence!"

"Well I don't know about that," Aerrow laughed nervously, but before he could say anything else, a siren began blaring throughout the hangar bay.

"Attention!" Came the voice of Cyrus through the speakers, "The Luxirious is about to become under siege! This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill! Get to your fighters immediately and prepare for battle."

"You heard the woman!" Nikolai exclaimed, his voice resounding off of the metal walls of the hangar bay, "Get to your fighters!" And with that command, every person in the hangar bay rushed to any available skimmer they could get their hands on.

The knights of the Tempest rushed up the opened hatch of their carrier and into their own hangar bay, where lines of skimmers were waiting. If they didn't have a skimmer, they hopped on to one with someone else. Aerrow noticed Sora jump on to Junko's skimmer with him, and Aida did the same with Nova. However, as Radaar hopped into his copilot car, and each knight began driving their skimmers out of the Tempest, there was one skimmer left behind in the hangar bay, sitting net to Advent's, Cyrus's and Nova's (which he recognized immediately).

"Cloud!" Aerrow exclaimed before driving off, "Is that yours?" He inquired, nodding towards the azure and silver skimmer in the back of the hangar.

"I'm a druid," Cloud replied, rushing down the opened hatch with the rest of the group, "I don't need one to fly…"

_That's weird…_ Aerrow thought, before driving out into the sky, _I wonder who's that is? _But he immediately put the lone skimmer out of his mind as he laid on the acceleration and drove off of into the sky from the Luxirious's hangar bay.

Several dozens of skimmers flew into the sky, flying away from the massive airship and towards the storm clouds that brewed before them. It was at that moment that the group could see three skimmers emerge from the clouds.

"Nova!" one of the initiates exclaimed, as Nova's skimmer went flying past the regiment towards the front of the group, "They're the same attackers as last time!"

"I know what they're after!" Advent exclaimed, keeping her skimmer towards the back of the brigade. Cyclonis was riding with her, holding on to a bright crimson crystal, and keeping it rather close to her person, "Keep them off us!"

"There's only three!" Finn exclaimed looking at the black skimmers heading directly towards them.

"Yeah!" Junko replied, "And there's them too!" He exclaimed as he pointed to the dark creatures that came swarming out of the clouds towards the group.

"Nightcrawlers!" Aida shouted, pulling a set of stilettos from his side pouch.

"Here dey come!" Leto shouted as the swarm headed towards them.

And thus, the battle began. Bolts of crystal energy flew in every direction and the sky before the Luxirious illuminated as the sounds of clashing blades filled the air.

"Aerrow!" Piper exclaimed, as a group of the dark creatures flew towards him and his ride. He was already grappling with one of the creatures as it, and she knew he would not fare well against more than two.

"Back off!" Sora shouted, leaping off of Junko's skimmer which was flying overhead, "Rune of Spell shattering!" She shouted, landing on Aerrow's skimmer, holding on to a purple crystal as one of the runes on her glove began to glow. A bright wave of light radiated from the glove and went flying through the air, knocking the Nightcrawlers away from him.

"Thanks!" Aerrow exclaimed, as Junko flew below him, and Sora leapt down on to his skimmer.

"Anytime!" Sora exclaimed as Junko flew deeper into the fray.

"So you must be Advent!" Anaxagoras hissed, as he circled his skimmer around her and Cyclonis.

"Get out of here!" Advent exclaimed, leaping on to the wing of her white skimmer and unsheathing her short-sword.

"I'm not leaving!" Cyclonis hissed, grasping the control mechanism of Advent's skimmer.

"Yes you are!" A voice shouted from behind the pair. A large arm wrapped itself around Cyclonis's waist and pulled her off of the skimmer, carrying her away from Advent.

"What are you doing!" Cyclonis shouted, kicking and clawing at Snipe in an attempt to break free.

"Saving your skin!" He hissed, throwing Cyclonis towards the back of his skimmer.

"A lot of good that puny sword is going to do you!" Anaxagoras laughed, looking down at Advent's weapon.

"It's not the weapon," Advent hissed, "It's how you use it…"

"Sure it is," Anaxagoras scoffed. But at that moment, Advent slashed the blade through the air, and it separated as into segments connected by a steel chain, making the blade into whip.

"You'll find I'm full of surprises!" Advent growled, leaping on to Anaxagoras's skimmer.

Meanwhile, Snipe had taken Cyclonis as far away from the encroaching enemy as possible. He saw Finn, shooting down as many Nightcrawlers as he could, and Snipe casually tossed Cyclonis on to his skimmer.

"What the-!" He and Cyclonis exclaimed as Snipe threw her on to the vehicle.

"Keep her safe!" He commanded, turning away from them and flying into the centre of the Fray.

"They're after this crystal!" Cyclonis explained, holding on to Finn's waist, "You just have to keep them off us till the battle is over."

"Actually!" Meno laughed darkly as she flew over the pair, "I can take that little rock off of your hands!"

"Back off lady!" Finn hissed, holding his crossbow up towards Meno.

"Oh!" Meno laughed tauntingly, "Are you gonna shoot me! Haha! How cute!"

"You're gonna eat those words!" Finn shouted, pulling the trigger. But Meno pulled out one of her crystal guns, and fired a shot at him. Sadly, hers was more powerful, and blasted right through his attack, "I need stronger ammo…" Finn groaned as Meno's shot pierced through Finn's skimmer. It began to crash and go spiraling towards the wastelands, when Meno seized Cyclonis's wrist to prevent her from falling.

"I'll take that," Meno laughed, ripping the crystal from her grip. She then thrust her knee into Cyclonis's abdomen.

"AARG!" She growled, as Meno threw her down on to her skimmer. She held her crystal gun to Cyclonis's head and a wicked smile made her way across her face.

"There has to be nine of you to defeat my master…" Meno growled, "I might as well get rid of you now!" Meno laughed, pulling the trigger. But someone had sent a bold of red at Meno, hitting the hand holding the gun, enough for the shot to not puncture Cyclonis's head, but enough to graze the side of her face, and tear of a small piece of skin.

"Who the hell!" Meno shouted, turning to the direction of the blast. But as she looked in the direction, she was knocked down on her skimmer, by the wing of someone else's.

"Take over!" The pilot of the skimmer shouted as he leapt down on to Meno's ride. Cyclonis wiped the blood out of her eyes and snapped back to reality as she caught a glimpse of her rescuer.

"Stay the hell away from her you bitch," The Dark Ace growled before he planted his fist into Meno's face, causing her to go flying off of the skimmer.

"I…I…" Cyclonis began, completely speechless. He said nothing, he merely seized her wrist and leapt off of Meno's ride and on to his own (which Finn had been piloting).

"Thanks for the save dude!" Finn shouted nervously.

"Thank me later!" Dark Ace replied, "Just fly!"

"They're retreating!" Nova shouted from across the way. And it was true, they had begun to fly off into the storm, and at the sight of this they all began to cheer. The skimmers then made a mass exodus back to the Luxirious and they flew into the hangar bay in swarms.

"We did it!" Sora exclaimed as the other skimmers were landing. This was followed by a wave of cheers and shouts of victory.

"Not exactly," Cyclonis replied quietly.

"What do you mean?" Nova asked, pushing her was towards her.

"One of them got away with the crystal…" Cyclonis replied, "I didn't get the chance to take it back."

"How could this happen!" Cyrus hissed, looking about ready to throttle Cyclonis.

"That would be my fault," The Dark Ace explained, stepping forward to take the blame.

"What the hell are you doing here," Advent snapped, moving towards him, "You're not ready to be up and walking let alone fighting!"

"I'll be the judge of that!" Ace snapped, obviously not caring about Advent's authority, "And who's to say what I can and can't do! Finn and Cyclonis would be dead if it weren't for me, and for-BLECK!" He gagged, his thought interrupted by a substantial amount of blood that went flying from his mouth.

"You need medical attention!" Cloud growled, pushing her way towards the front of the group. She seized Ace's arm and began to pull him back towards the Tempest.

"I'm…" He grumbled, wiping blood away from the corners of his mouth, "Just… fine…"

"Like hell you are!" Nova snapped, "Take him to the hospital wing Cloud!"

"Advent," Piper began, "Was that the same crystal we used to hold Cypress's soul?"

"Yes," Advent replied with a sigh, "And now that her minions have it and a new vessel for her…she'll be resurrected at her full power."

"Yup…" Stork began, casually walking past the group, "We're doomed…"


	7. Chapter 6: Unity

Author's Note: Okay so I have to know, if I cranked out some Artwork of characters, weapon designs, ship sketches, landscapes, ect. ect…and posted it on my Deviantart account, how many of you readers (because I know you're out there :O) would go and look at it? Also, I know its boring, but this is basically a character development chapter so It shouldn't be as long as the last one! Also, don't interpret Piper and Cyclonis's developing friendship as something more than that (I'll admit that I always liked the idea of the pair being friends). Also, Also, I figured if Atmos can have frozen yogurt shops, and wrestling tournaments…they can have cigarettes and beer too!

Chapter VI,

Unity

The next day on the Tempest began on a less cheerful note. Apparently, like the Storm Hawks, the Twilight Knights were not accustomed to failure. And so, the general morale of the ship was very low. Not to mention previous tensions amongst _certain_ squadron members were still present. However, there was one person in particular who was trying to deviate from said aggression and hostility, in an attempt to make however long their time with the Twilight Knights may be, less uncomfortable.

Piper walked on to the flight deck, holding two cups of coffee, where she saw a few of the other knights minding their own business. Aida, Innes, and Stork were at the helm, having a mild argument about something. Nova and Nikolai were standing around the large tabletop map of Atmos, as Nova pointed out possible flight routes to somewhere, and Advent and Cyrus were standing at the end of the table where she could see Advent pointing feverishly at some coordinate as Cyrus listened intently. But she held no interest in them. She walked over to the left side of the deck, where she saw someone staring out of the massive windshield and into the sky before them.

"Hi…" Piper began quietly, standing next to Cyclonis.

"…Hi," She responded quietly, still looking out of the window.

"I brought you something…" Piper began nervously, extending her hand out towards her, "You look like you could use it."

"Thank you," Cyclonis replied, slightly confused as she took the cup from Piper's hand.

"I wasn't sure how you took it-" Piper began, looking out of the window.

"This is fine," She replied quietly, taking a sip of the black coffee. It remained silent between the pair for several moments, before Cyclonis gave Piper a casual glance, and then let out a sigh, "You don't have to try…"

"I don't have to try what?" Piper replied, looking over to her.

"Being nice," Cyclonis responded promptly, taking another sip, "I wouldn't even try being nice to me…so I don't expect you to. I've done some…" She stopped, choked back something, "Some terrible things…"

"At first," Piper began after several moments of silence, "When I first saw them bring you out…I felt angry…but then I felt sorry for you. And when Advent and I went inside your mind…I saw what kind of place it was, and I saw what that _thing _was making you into…"

"You mean Cypress?" Cyclonis replied.

"Yeah," Piper nodded, "When I saw her…it was like all of my hate for you shifted to her and I no longer felt like I hated you…because I never did hate you…I hated Cypress. And when it was all over, and I saw the real you for the first time…I felt sorry again. I couldn't imagine everyone hating me for being someone I wasn't. And I gave _Cypress_ a chance…but I haven't given _Cyclonis _a chance."

"You're not joking are you?" Cyclonis replied, looking Piper in the eyes for the first time. She then flung her arms around Piper and held on to her as tightly as she could, "Thank you!" She exclaimed, but Piper couldn't tell if she was laughing or crying, "You're the first person to treat me like an actual human being since I got here!"

"I'm sure that's not true…" Piper replied, quietly.

"But it is…" Cyclonis laughed slightly, pulling away from Piper as she wiped tears away from her eyes, "In fact…you're the first person to treat me like a person since I turned thirteen."

"You're welcome then," Piper replied with a slight laugh. The two then remained quiet, and after a few seconds, both girls burst into laughter. Cyclonis opened her mouth as though to say something, but at that moment two people rushed into the room, creating a scene as they did so.

"You still need treatment!" Cloud shouted, chasing after the Dark Ace as he stormed on to the flight deck, "You're not ready-"

"Oh stop!" he shouted, turning around to face the Druid, "I'm fine!"

"You need to rest!" Cloud growled, seizing his wrist with both of her hands as she attempted to pull him out of the flight deck.

"Let go of me!" Dark Ace shouted, "Stubborn woman!"

"I'm the stubborn one!" Cloud shouted, letting go of him, "You're so stubborn you refuse to even lie down for an hour!"

"Because I don't need-ACK!" He coughed, as a stream of blood went flying from his mouth. Cloud furrowed her brow and pulled out a white handkerchief and attempted to wipe the blood away from the corners of his mouth.

"This is the second time this morning!" Cloud snapped, sliding the cloth across his lips. But he pulled away from her and coughed once again, as the blood spattered on the sleeve of his uniform, "Let me help you!" Cloud snapped.

"What's another lost liter!" Dark Ace shouted, pushing Cloud away from him, "So which one of you is Advent anyway!" He shouted.

"I am," Advent replied, moving away from Cyrus and towards him, "And what may I ask are you doing here! You should have listened to Cloud and-" "If I have to tell one more person that I'm fine…" Dark Ace growled.

"Listen," Advent hissed, standing before him, "I don't expect you to immediately understand…but right now, you're going to go back to the hospital wing with her," She continued, pointing to Cloud, "And you're going to lay down until I say so…"

"And why should I listen to you?" Dark Ace replied quietly, looking down at Advent.

"Because," She began quietly, taking another step towards him, "I'm your master's master…so that means because I own her…I guess that means I own you too…"

He said nothing. The two stared at one another for a few moments, he looked livid, she looked confident. Cloud then quietly took hold of his arm and gestured him to walk with her out of the flight deck. He obliged, but still locked eyes with Advent until the moment he left.

"Oh I fear he and I are going to have a lot of problems…" Advent sighed, gripping the skin between her eyebrows.

"Mom," Cyclonis began, advancing towards Advent, "Does he remember anything?"

"Of course," Advent replied turning around to face her, "Certain things that is…I don't think he remembers much about the end…"

"That's good," Cyclonis replied, looking down at the ground.

"Don't take his attitude personally though," Aida began, looking down at the group from on top of the helm deck, "Anteres has always been that way…ever since we were kids…try not to read too much into it." Aida shrugged.

"Still," Nova sighed, "I suppose that he might calm down a little more if we shed some more light on what was going on. All he does know is that he's a Twilight Knight and he doesn't remember how it happened."

"We'd tell him if he calmed down," Nikolai sighed, "The last thing that man needs to hear is aggravating news."

"Heaven forbid he hacks up his organs too!" Aida laughed, turning away from the group and heading back to the helm.

"That isn't funny Aida," Cyrus snapped.

"Maybe not to you," Aida scoffed, grasping the helm.

"Advent's your mom?" Piper whispered to Cyclonis as the groups turned away and went about what they had just been doing.

"Sort of," Cyclonis sighed, gesturing Piper to follow her. The pair left the flight deck and began heading towards the Botanical room on the lower deck, "Advent is my real mother…my sister, the queen before me that is, couldn't have children, so she asked my mom to carry me. But in the eyes of Cyclonia, I was supposed to be the next queen."

"How is it that she's so young then?" Piper asked, "I mean if technically she is your grandmother…"

"I don't know," Cyclonis shrugged, "I tried not to think much about it…"

"You didn't look too thrilled to see the Dark Ace…" Piper then added.

"I'm scared," Cyclonis then replied, "He doesn't remember what I did, but he will…eventually. And then what do I tell him? Good to see you, sorry I blew you up, how's the family?"

* * *

"Why don't you try using real medical practices," The Dark Ace scoffed, laying down on one of the Medical wing's beds.

"There's nothing more powerful than Dryadic healing," Cloud replied flatly, guiding her hand over certain area's of Ace's chest and torso. Wherever she moved her hand, a greenish light began to glow from under his skin, and followed her every move, "How does that feel?" She asked, removing her hand and looking him in the eye.

"I felt fine before," Ace snapped, coughing into his fist. There was still blood, but not nearly as much. He looked down at his fist and then to Cloud.

"I'll take that as a thank you," Cloud replied with a slight smile, as she leaned over the railing on the bed to look him in the eyes "If you'd relax a little, I might have you in fighting condition my tomorrow."

"I didn't need your help," Ace replied, turning away from her and siding off of the bed. He pulled the shirt of his new uniform on over his head, and he moved towards his armor. That's when he felt Cloud's hand on his shoulder.

"I don't think so!" Cloud snapped, "I don't want you overdoing it!"

"I'll be fine!" Ace shouted, sounding thoroughly frustrated. He turned away from her then and exited the room as quickly as he possibly could. Cloud let out a sigh as she looked down at the floor. After a few moments, she let out a sigh and left the room as well. She stepped out into the hallway and noticed Piper and Cyclonis walking down the hall.

"Hey Cloud!" Piper smiled as Cloud poked her head out of the door.

"Hi," Cloud replied with a smile, "You're looking better today Cyclonis…" Cloud then added, looking over towards her.

"Thanks," She replied with a slight smile.

"We were just heading down to the Botanical room," Piper stated, "Everyone else is down there…getting some fresh air."

"Fake fresh air," Cyclonis shrugged, "But it's better than nothing."

"Wanna come?" Piper inquired.

"Sure," Cloud smiled, following the two down the hallway, "I'm starting to feel a little homesick anyway…there's so much _metal_ around here…By the way I didn't know you two were friends."

"It's a recent thing," Cyclonis replied.

"I must admit," Cloud began, looking down at the ground, "I feel a little rude. Even though I've only been here for a few days…I feel as though I should have at least gotten to know all of you better. I mean if the nine of us are destined to save Atmos! But I've been catering to the needs of that jerk all day! And he doesn't even want it!"

"That bad huh?" Piper laughed as Cyclonis chuckled under her breath.

"Ugh!" Cloud growled, "You have no idea what he's like."

"Oh I think I do," Cyclonis replied with a laugh, "Opinionated, stubborn, the kind of guy who's always right…trust me I know."

"Maybe he'd listen to you," Cloud sighed, rolling her eyes, "It's like every time I tell him not to do something, he does the opposite! And then some! Tell me that he's only acting that way out of confusion."

"You're kidding," Cyclonis laughed, stopping in the middle of the hall and turning to face Cloud, "That behavior has _Dark Ace _written all over it."

"Then you must have had the patience of a tree," Cloud replied, looking down at the floor with exhaustion, "I've been chasing that moron around the ship making sure he doesn't do something stupid to get hurt."

"Cloud," Piper began, turning to Cloud. Something about her didn't seem right to Piper from the moment they met, and she felt the need to ask the question, "You speak English well…I mean the Druids we spoke to that could speak English on Terra Phusis had accents…but you don't. Why is that?"

"I'm not sure," Cloud laughed nervously, as though she was hiding something, "But I can see why you'd ask."

_Weird_, Both Piper and Cyclonis thought as they headed to the lower deck and into the Botanical room.

In the half hour the girls had left the flight deck, it seemed like the entire squadron had made their way into the botanical room, sprawling out under the artificial sun and letting the simulated breeze blow through their hair. At the far end of the botanical room, was a small lake, which everyone seemed to congregate around.

"Piper!" Aerrow called, standing at the shore, waving towards her. He, like many of the others, was wearing a swimsuit. Nova, Leto, and Aru sat side by side on the shore, holding massive steins full of alcohol. Advent was sitting gracefully on the grass only a few feet away from the shore, holding an opened copy of _The Prophet_ as Cyrus sat next to her, staring lazily into the surface of the lake. Aida was laying face up in the grass with his head on Innes's lap, as Innes ran his fingers through Aida's bubblegum pink hair, while the Dark Ace lied face up in the grass beside them . Aerrow, Finn, Junko, Sora, and just about everyone else was swimming and splashing about in the lake, except for Jynx and Stork (merely because neither were very fond of water). The only who were not present was the merb named Nypherious and his constant companion, Victor.

"Hello," Advent called calmly, paging through her book. She was now wearing a long, sleeveless white gown, rather than her Twilight Knight's uniform, "I wondered when you'd be joining us."

"Ugh," Cyrus scoffed, looking over towards Nova, Aru, and Leto, "Do the three of you ever stop drinking!"

"You may enjoy ruining my life Cyrus," Nova sighed, taking another gulp of beer, "But you can never ruin beer…"

"Amen to dat mon!" Leto replied as he and Nova clashed their steins together. Cyrus merely rolled her eyes as she then lied down in the grass.

"You wouldn't happen to have a cigarette Nova?" One of the pale twins, Nevan, inquired stepping out of the water.

"I could use one too," Dark Ace stated, sitting up and rising to his feet and walking towards Nova. She handed them each one as Aru took out a silver lighter. Ace took the lighter from her and lit his, then Nevan's.

"You never struck me as the smoking type," Cyclonis began, as she, Cloud, and Piper sat down next to Advent. The Dark Ace turned to look at her.

"I am constantly evolving," He replied flatly, turning away from her.

"It's so relaxing here," Piper stated, looking around the area, "You almost forget you're on a ship…"

"Indeed," Advent smiled, placing the opened book down on her lap, "Anyway…I felt the squad was in dire need of a little fun. Just to pick up the mood a bit. It doesn't matter ho large or powerful a squadron is," Advent continued with a slight smile as she lifted the book back up to her eye level. It was moments like this however, that one sometimes forgot that Advent was missing an arm, "If they're depressed…you might as well just surrender."

"I never thought about it that way," Cyclonis replied quietly.

"Well I'm going for a swim," Cloud stated, rising to her feet, as she began to remove her accessories. Once she was down to nothing but her top and shorts, she placed her excess clothes down on the ground next to Piper and headed for the lake.

"Hey Cloud," Finn nodded flirtatiously as she came towards the shore, "What's Up!" Cloud said nothing. She merely giggled and she dove into the water once she was in at waist level.

"I think I'll head in too…" Cyclonis stated, unlacing her boots. She then rose to her feet as she gently pulled off her skirt and her shirt, till she was down to her underclothes, and headed towards the water.

"Oh go on in," Advent stated quietly, not looking away from her book.

"Excuse me?" Piper replied, looking over towards her.

"I know you want to," Advent continued with a smile, "And live a little…for heaven's sake it's not like you're all swimming in the nude…"

Piper said nothing. She merely smiled as she did the same as Cyclonis, stripping down to nothing but her underwear as she headed towards the water. Advent then looked over towards Cyrus, who was staring at her with disapproval.

"I don't understand you sometimes," Cyrus began in a hushed tone.

"And I, you," Advent sighed, placing her book on her lap and looking towards Cyrus, "Why must you contradict everything that doesn't involve business as usual?"

"I just feel that given the events yesterday," Cyrus snapped, "We should be strategizing! Planning! Cypress is going to get her body back! That's bad news for us Advent! The Storm Hawks, Sora, even Cloud and Cyclonis are going to think that being in the Twilight Knights is just a vacation and it's not!"

"I know that Cyrus," Advent replied calmly, "Something Dark is coming, and with darkness and evil, comes suffering. Hasn't our squadron suffered enough? Especially those nine children! I'd like to give them one last day of enjoyment before things start to go to hell in a hand basket…so don't ruin it for them," Advent concluded as she lifted the book back up to her eye level, "Not to mention this is the first time in three days where we're no longer a squadron consisting of the Storm Hawks, the Talons, and everyone else…rather we're finally becoming a Twilight Knight Squadron…so as I said, don't ruin it!"

"Yes Advent," Cyrus replied quietly, as she averted her attention back to her squadron.


	8. Chapter 7: Cypress

Author's Note: Oh my god…I'm sorry I took so effing long to update! But yes I think this is the first chapter where sh!t really starts to hit the fan in the terms of the plot. Also, I feel that in the show, the Storm Hawks didn't really have to overcome everything (I.e. there was no conflict/tragedy. They won every time…and that's not realistic) so heaven forbid it XD they're actually going to loose every once in a while! Also we'll finally be seeing Cloud's Druid forms for the first time :P

Chapter VII.

Cypress

The next day began with the sound of crashing thunder resonating throughout the Tempest. Dark grey, almost black clouds hung in the air and stretched all over Atmos. Lightning illuminated the flight deck as though someone had tossed a flash grenade into the room.

"We should stop," Aida began turning to Advent who was standing in front of the windshield.

"I agree…" Stork stated darkly, lazily steering the helm, "A crash in a storm like this could be…fatal…"

"Stork's got a point," Innes nodded, "At this altitude if we go down, we're done for."

"Keep moving," Advent gestured, "If we're stopping…we won't be landing in the wastelands…Terra Larkenus is not too far from here. We'll land there."

"Larkenus?" Aida replied, looking out into the storm, "I think I'd rather risk heading to Dol Donnis…"

"That's all the way in Tropica," Innes replied, looking at Aida as though he was crazy, "It's almost fifty miles from here!"

"And I have family on Terra Dol Donnis," Aida replied, "We can land on the Caylo Isles, re-supply and head out tomorrow to search for more leads."

"That's actually not a bad idea Aida," Advent replied, thinking it over for a moment, "Alright…head to Terra Dol Donnis." She sighed, staring out into the storm. But at that moment, the Tempest's transmitter began wailing, indicating that there was a distress call. Innes then dropped what he was doing and rushed towards the radio, pulling the microphone closer to his lips.

"This is the Tempest," Innes stated clearly, "We've received your distress call! What is your emergency, over!"

"Terra Larkenus!" A voice shouted from the opposite side, "And hurry!" It shouted, before the sounds of growls and screams filled the headset. Innes removed the headset and looked towards Aida and Stork.

"I looks we're going to have to postpone heading to the Caylo Isles!" Innes exclaimed, "That transmission sounded urgent." "Sounds like all enough of a lead to me," Advent replied darkly, "Aida, Stork, set your coordinates to Larkenus…and step on it!"

"Attention Twilight Knights!" Advent then called through the ship's intercom system, "Report to the hangar bay immediately for mission briefing and departure to Terra Larkenus!"

"Terra Larkenus?" Piper asked, staring up at one of the speakers hanging from the ceiling. Junko, Cloud, and Sora were in the hallway with her, staring up at the speaker, all thinking the same thing: Why were they heading to the most miserable terra in Atmos.

"I hate Larkenus," Cloud grumbled, as the four headed down the hallway, and towards the hangar bay, "It's nothing but a few depressing little towns, surrounded by Atmos's largest and most depressing cemetery!"

"Advent must know what she's doing," Piper replied, rolling her eyes slightly, "Or else we wouldn't be going…"

"Larkenus can't be that bad," Sora chirped, skipping slightly as she walked.

"Then you've obviously never been there," The grey merb, Nympherious scoffed, moving past the group and eavesdropping on the conversation.

"I think you can find something good about every terra," Sora smiled lightly, looking over towards him.

"Sure," Nympherious laughed darkly, "The moticians of that terra are the most talented in Atmos…they start by taking the slowly decaying corpses into the morgue and slicing through their dead flesh, sawing through their bones-"

"That's enough!" A voice shouted, throwing her hands over Sora's ears before Nympherious could finish, "Just because you have a _different_ sense of humor doesn't entitle you to thrust your dark cynicism on a kid!" Starling concluded, pulling her hands away from Sora.

"Kill joy," Nypherious scoffed, turning away from them and continuing down the hallway.

"What's his problem?" Junko replied, watching him slink off into the shadows of the hallway

"You'll have to ignore him," Starling sighed, glaring at the Merb as he walked down the hall, "Nympherious has a very dark outlook on life…But never mind him, let's see what Advent has to say about Terra Larkenus."

The group headed down the hallway and headed into the platform elevator at the end of the hall which would take them to whatever level they desired. Starling pressed the button that read "Flight Deck/Hangar Bay" and the platform began to ascend to the upper level of the ship. They made their way into the hangar bay where they found the rest of the squadron preparing to take off towards Terra Larkenus.

"Alright!" Advent exclaimed, standing beside her skimmer, "We received a distress call from Terra Larkenus. We don't know for sure if it is Cypress, but I don't want to take any chances. Now, Terra Larkenus is a large terra, so we'll be splitting up into groups in order to scour the area. If you find anything suspicious at all, don't be a hero! Everyone understand!" The knights responded with a salute (even the _newest recruits_ who caught on to the rules and regulations rather quickly).

"Good," Nova began, standing beside Advent, "Then prepare your fighters for descent to Larkenus…Aerrow, Piper, Cloud, Cyclonis, and Ace…you're with me!" She commanded, gesturing them to walk with her.

"That's gonna be a fun group," Finn chuckled, tapping Junko on the shoulder. The two then began to laugh hysterically under their breath, when suddenly they felt something pull on their collars, half scaring them out of their minds.

"Laugh it up boys," Cyrus scoffed, listening to their conversation the entire time. The two boys turned around and observed Ravess and Snipe standing behind her, "Because you're with me…" Finn and Junko merely smiled nervously as they followed Cyrus to their skimmers.

"Does Cloud have a ride?" Aerrow whispered to Piper as he walked behind Nova (yet keeping a safe/respectable distance from Ace).

"Not sure," Piper replied, "But she is a druid…maybe she can fly on her own?"

The small group then headed to their skimmers. Nova climbed on to hers, and almost as though he had the plague, Cyclonis ran to Nova's ride leapt on to it, trying to stay as far away from Ace as possible. Needless to say, he was slightly taken aback by this, and a little offended (all though it didn't show). Cloud did not have a skimmer, nor did she jump on to anyone else's. Aerrow climbed on to his, and Piper jumped on to her Heli-scooter (sp? w/e) and Nova directed the group to follow her out of the open hangar bay. And thus the group took off into the sky, Cloud jumping directly off of the hangar bay and into the air, plunging to the wastelands faster than the skimmers took off into the sky.

"Is she crazy!" Aerrow shouted, watching as Cloud disappeared into the haze that floated above the wastelands.

"No," Nova replied with a slight smile, saying nothing else as she pushed through the air. At that moment, a large grey blur came shooting up into the air from beneath the clouds. It then flew back down towards the collection of skimmers, and the creature came into clearer view. It was a large grey, great horned owl, almost the size of a full grown adult.

"Weren't sacred were ya!" They could hear the owl laugh as it flew playfully above their heads.

"Cloud?" Piper asked, laughing slightly as the bird circled around the heli-scooter.

"You bet!" The owl laughed, flying over towards Nova.

"Ah!" Cyclonis hissed, griping her head as the space around her began spinning and she began to fade in and out of consciousness. She gripped on to Nova's waist to steady herself as so she did not go flying off of the skimmer.

"Are you alright?" Nova replied as the pair began sailing through the damp frigid clouds. Cyclonis steadied herself as she looked up at Nova.

"I'm fine…" She replied quietly, "I haven't…haven't been feeling well is all."

"Are you sure?" Nova replied, slightly concerned with Cyclonis's physical state. She nodded, and with that Nova continued into a cloud of pale grey mist, the others following reluctantly.

"I can't see a thing!" Cloud shouted, as the sound of her wings flapping sliced through the air, along with the low rumble of the skimmer motors.

"The terra should be close," Nova stated clearly.

"It's a safe bet we're already here," Piper squeaked, barely missing an ornamental obelisk. The group looked down towards the ground and noticed several rows of tombstones and grave markers coming into view a few feet below them. Nova retracted the wings of her skimmer and touched down on the ground (missing the headstones of course). The others followed her accordingly as they landed upon the ground.

"Be on your guard," Nova stated calmly as she pulled one of her Crystal guns from the holster at her side. Cloud touched down on to the ground, and in a puff of smoke, she had transformed from an owl, and back into her human form.

"This place even gives me the creeps," Cyclonis replied quietly, staring into the lifeless faces of the stone angels guarding the cemetery.

"Nothing on this Terra is alive," Nova stated quietly, listening to the wind whistle through the tombstones, "Only the morticians, coroners, and medical examiners that live in the center town…this place reeks of death so no animals come to it…so why would anyone possibly want to attack Terra Larkenus?" Nova inquired as the group headed closer and closer to the silhouette of a town. The mist in the air was thick, and stank of something indescribable.

"You're right Nova," Aerrow nodded, holding his hand over his nose, "Why would anyone want to attack this place?"

"I can't imagine there's anything valuable here," Cloud gagged, gasping for a breath of fresh air that was clearly not present in the area.

"Someone's trying to send us a message," The Dark Ace then stated quietly, looking down towards the ground ahead of them. It was difficult to tell what exactly it was that he saw, but one thing did catch the group's eye. A hand, emerging from the pale grey mist that coated the ground. It was pale, and slightly grey in itself. It was the colour of death. Then the mist started to disappear, giving the group a clear vision of the town. What they saw made them wish that they were anywhere else but Larkenus.

Bodies. Lots of bodies, laid neatly in rows all throughout the street. Women, children, and elderly were all included. From what they could tell, no one was spared. Piper looked away as she buried her face in Aerrow's chest. Nova let out a long sigh as she looked down towards the ground. Cloud was so stunned, all she could do was stare into the scene with slight horror. Cyclonis walked towards the rows and knelt down to get a closer look at the first body. There was no blood around it, and from what she could see, these people were not killed by any mortal means.

"What kind of person does something like this," Aerrow asked quietly, holding on tightly to Piper.

"Someone with no soul," Cloud replied quietly.

"Whoever they were," Cyclonis began, rising to her feet, "They used symbology… It's a technique called scouring…"

"Symbols cover more ground than runes do," The Dark Ace stated flatly, placing his right hand on the ground before the bodies and closing his eyes, "And although they require more input in a reaction too, their useful for attacks like this. Using the correct amount of static crystals, one could send a pulse throughout an area about the size of this town, stopping the hearts of any living thing that comes in contact with the pulse…in this case the whole town…lining the bodies up is someone's sick way of saying that we're next."

"That's correct," Nova replied with some slight concern inflicting her voice, staring down at his arm, "But tell me…how do you know that?"

"I don't know," he replied, opening his eyes, and looking down at his right arm

_How do I know that?_ He thought.

"Why don't you ask Advent," A soft, almost melancholic yet melodic voice began, resounding throughout the silence of the village. The small group then heard the slight hum of a tuning fork surround them. They began looking on all sides, trying to find the origin of the noise and the voice.

"STOP!" Cyclonis then screamed, with a voice that could curdle blood. She threw her hands over her ears and collapsed to the ground, still screaming as though someone was pulling out each of her teeth with the opposite end of a hammer, "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! STOP!"

"Cyclonis!" Cloud exclaimed, rushing towards her, seeing if she could do anything to help.

"I wouldn't waste your energy," The soft voice began emerging from the mist, with two inky black dog like creatures walking with her. At first, the group was convinced it was Advent, but Advent's eyes were blue, not red. Advent was also missing an arm, this woman was not. And where Advent adorned mostly white, this woman wore a long and ornate black gown that sailed effortlessly over the bodies. She was clutching a small red crystal, and as she drew closer to the group, Cyclonis began to scream louder, as though the presence of the woman and her crystal was causing her physical pain. It was at that moment they all knew. This was Cypress.

"Leave her alone!" Aerrow shouted, drawing his twin blades. He readied himself to fight, but Nova extended her arm out in front of him. He got the hint.

"So where is my little sister," She began coldly, moving the crystal closer to Cyclonis.

"Advent isn't with us!" Cloud shouted, holding on to Cyclonis, who was practically paralyzed from pain.

"Pity," She replied flatly, "I was hoping to eliminate her first…but I suppose the six of you will do…"

"I don't think so," Nova replied darkly, narrowing her glare at the woman.

"Oh," She replied, stroking the head of one of her beasts, "What makes you say that?"

"ME!" Sora shouted from behind, as a massive glowing crystalline cage formed around Cypress. She wasn't taken aback in the slightest as she looked around at the cage.

"Is that all?" She asked, breathing on the bars as they melted before her. Sora let out a small squeak of fear as she leapt into the air and hurled over what remained of the cage, standing beside her allies.

"No it's not!" the voice of Junko shouted from across the way as the ground below her began to warp and sunder, throwing the woman and her beasts into the air. But she effortlessly landed on her feet amidst the wreckage and the assortment of bodies. Shots of bluish energy then fired through the air, heading directly towards the woman, but she shooed them away as though they were flies.

"We heard you guys in the distance and we came to help!" Sora stated confidently as she, Finn, and Junko assimilated into the group.

"Is this the best my sister has to offer," She replied coldly. She then gave a small smile, not a devious smile, just a smile, as she placed her hand on the ground. The streets of the city then began to glow bright red as the previously deceased bodies rose from the ground, moving towards the group like something out of a horror movie.

"What should we do!" Finn exclaimed as the living dead began moving towards them. Nova then began firing shots into the crowd of creatures, and they began to drop.

"Fight!" Nova replied, sending shots of energy into the bodies of the creatures.

"Sounds like a plan!" Aerrow shouted, pulling out his weapon.

The others readied what defenses they had as the creatures encroached upon them. Sora removed a small orange crystal shard and placed it on to the ground. One of the many runes on her glove began to glow, as a wave of fire emitted from the shard and flew through the air, knocking several of the living dead down, and igniting them on fire.

"Way to go Sora!" Piper shouted. Sora smiled confidently back at her, but she and the others were so focused on fighting off the living dead, that they had forgotten about Cyclonis, who felt as though she was dying. Cypress made her way over towards the suffering teen, and lifted her off of the ground by her neck.

"I'm not going to kill you," She hissed, clutching tightly to Cyclonis's neck, "But I want you to suffer…I want you to suffer to the point where you beg me for mercy and to end your pathetic existence!" She concluded, releasing her grip on Cyclonis. She then put her hand on Cyclonis's face.

"NO!" Dark Ace shouted, turning away from the living dead and rushing towards Cyclonis. Cypress then turned towards him, not taking her hand off Cyclonis, and snapped her fingers. Her two beats then launched into the air and pinned him to the ground, "Let go of her!" he screamed, struggling to push the two creatures off of him.

She said nothing. A red rune then appeared on the hand that was clutching Cyclonis's face. The rune then disappeared and immediately after an eruption of blood in burst from the pores of her skin. She then collapsed to the ground as the woman and her beasts disappeared into a cloud of mist. The bodies then fell down on to the ground and became nothing more than dead bodies once again. Cloud then rushed to Cyclonis, to see if she was even still alive.

"She's okay," Cloud began, as her hands began to glow green and she placed them on Cyclonis's face. The wound quickly began to heal, but there was a scar left behind on her face.

"Thank you," She whispered, barely able to speak.

"We should get back to the ship," Nova commanded the group. Cloud picked Cyclonis off of the ground and carried her back to where the group had left their skimmers and the others followed her. But Nova waited towards the back of the group to speak to one individual personally.

"What were you thinking!" Nova shouted, seizing Ace's collar, "You could have been killed."

"Be thou for the people," He scoffed, pushing Nova away from him, "Isn't that Advent's belief…that the twilight knights help others in need…the last time I checked it looked like Master Cyclonis was in need!"

"She's not your master anymore!" Nova hissed, "Advent is! Get that straight! Second of all, you're no ordinary twilight knight, and considering what Master Advent went through to bring you back here, you might want to take a little bit better care of _yourself_!"

"Yes Nova," Dark Ace replied sarcastically, "Whatever you say!" He concluded, walking away from her.

"Stubborn man…" Nova hissed under her breath as He moved towards Cloud. Cyclonis was at a point where she could stand on her feet, and she pushed away from Cloud once she saw the Dark Ace head towards her. She turned to him and gave him a slight smile. He got close enough to her and then opened her mouth as though to speak. But before he could say anything, with the last once of strength she had left in her being, she wildly and passionately…threw her hand across his face.

"You're an idiot!" She shouted, stumbling as she slung her arm around Cloud's neck once again, pointing her finger in Ace's face (who was so completely taken aback by her action). She looked as though she wanted to say something yet again, but before any words could leave her mouth, she fell unconscious.


	9. Chapter 8: The Obsidian Sanctum

Author's Note:

I wanted to make Cypress an unconventional villain, so that's why I went in a 'colder' direction with her, rather than being a 'fire and brimstone, I'm dragging you to hell with me and going to consume the earth in darkness and fire' kind of villain.

* * *

They made their way through a narrow and dark alley way between two stone buildings facing the streets of Atmosia. The five cloaked figures glided through the passageway until they reached a small and dirty building hidden within the alleyways. There was a lanky and arrogant looking young man standing out in front of a broken door way amidst the slums of Atmosia. He watched as the hooded figures approached.

"Can I help you!" He growled ironically as he turned his nose away from the group.

"Watch your tongue!" Meno hissed, pulling down her hood and rushing towards the young man. She seized the collar of his shirt and threw him up against a nearby wall. Glaring into his terrified eyes, "Never speak to master Cypress in such a way again!"

"Master Who!" He cowered, looking down at Meno.

"Me," Cypress began calmly and evenly as she removed her hood. Meno placed the youth on to the ground violently and let her master approach him. He was not as frightened by her, given her calm and level disposition, "I am looking for a hired hand. A…reliable source tells me that I can find _her _here…"

"Her?" The man scoffed, looking towards Cypress, "You mean Skyler? I don't know what you'd want her for! She's nothing but an ultra-religious freak who never speaks!"

"I'm looking for her," Cypress replied, gesturing him to move out of the way, "Is she here or not?"

"I can't let you in there honey!" The man replied, stepping in front of her. Cypress gently urged him out of the way with her hand and moved towards the door, regardless of his wishes, "Do you have a hearing problem!" He shouted seizing her shoulder. Cypress then turned to look at him. Her demeanor had completely changed and her eyes went wild with anger, as she did not like being touched by mere mortals. She thrust her hand on to his chest and a bright red rune appeared on his skin.

"Eviscerate!" Cypress hissed as she quickly removed her hand and stepped away from him.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME!" The man screamed in agony as he collapsed to his knees as deep gouges began to open in his chest and torso. His blood began to soak through his clothes and pour on to the ground, and the others could see his internal organs spill out on to the ground. Anaxamenes looked away from the scene, suppressing his gag reflex, Anaxamander stared indifferently into space as he always did, and Anaxagoras watched proudly, pulling his dark hood away from his pale face. The man let out one last weak scream before collapsing dead, his face laying in a pool of his own blood.

Cypress then said nothing. She resumed her calm expression and kneeled down towards the man's body. She pulled a small dagger out from under her robes and plunged the weapon into the man's neck. The quick contact of her blade through his skin caused a splash of blood to come flying from his neck and across her face. She then began carving through his anatomy, slicing through his skin, trachea, and lastly his spine, the knife making an awful grinding noise as she continued his post-mortem decapitation. She lifted his head off of the ground then by the roots of his hair and stepped over the man's body as she entered into the small and dirty building.

"Who the hell are you!" A large collection of thugs shouted as Cypress stepped quietly into their safe house.

"I'm looking for Skyler," Cypress stated calmly, lifting the head into the air casually, "He let me in…"

"She's in the back!" One of them exclaimed, pointing to the old wooden door at the back of the disgusting shack. Cypress then gestured her brigade to stay put as she walked to the back of the safe house. She pushed the door open and saw what appeared to be a young woman, sitting in a circle of candles.

"They call you Skyler…" Cypress began quietly, closing the door behind her, "They say you're one of the most powerful symbologists in existence…they also say that you're an assassin…and that you're good at what you do." The woman said nothing. She rose to her feet and turned to look at Cypress very gravely, "I also hear that you've got a bit of a vendetta against the Sky Knights of Atmosia-"

"And the Talons of Cyclonia," Skyler hissed, interrupting Cypress, "But what is it to you!"

"I have a bit of a vendetta against them myself," Cypress replied coolly, "And you're just the kind of person I need in my squadron."

"On one condition!" Skyler replied.

"What would that be?" Cypress smiled, ready to oblige her wishes.

"I want the head of Anteres Caylo…" Skyler hissed, glaring darkly towards Cypress, "The Dark Ace!"

* * *

Chapter VIII.

The Obsidian Sanctum

"Damn," Aida exclaimed, snapping a photo of the bloody, headless man, laying before the doorway of the old shack. The Tempest had landed in terra Atmosia after receiving a distress call that stated someone had been murdered by _uncongenial_ means (I.e. symbology). Advent, Starling, Ravess, and Aida had gone to the site where as the remaining members of the squadron stayed in the _safer_ area of the terra to re-supply, "That's disgusting!"

"Someone sliced this poor man to ribbons," Starling replied, draping a pale blue cloth over the man's body once Aida was finished with his photos.

"Cypress ripped this poor man to shreds," Advent replied calmly, "This certainly isn't the first person whom she subjected to a horrible death, and he won't be the last."

"Advent my dear!" A woman stated, hanging a green leather bag over her arms. She was maybe thirty-five, with wavy blonde hair that was lazily pulled back out of her face. She had tanned skin and emerald green eyes, and she adorned a pale green uniform.

"Constantine," Advent greeted politely, "I take it you received my transmission?"

"Of course not," She replied sarcastically, kneeling down on to the ground and pulling the sheet away from the man's face, "You should know me well enough to know that I go gallivanting around Atmosia looking for dead bodies to examine!"

"So then you're accepting my proposal!" Advent smiled, clapping her hands together.

"I'll think about it," Constantine replied, keeling down and taking a thermometer from her bag, "But it is apparent that you'll need a doctor on board the tempest my dear…and who better to do that job, than I?"

"My sentiments exactly," Advent nodded.

"Anyway," Constantine replied, rising to her feet as she looked over the thermometer, "It's apparent that this poor young man died instantly, but he died before his body had the chance to bleed out."

"Come again?" Ravess replied, raising an eyebrow, "How is that possible?"

"It's a runeology technique," Constantine stated, lifting the sheet off of his body completely, as so she could examine fully, "I used to dabble a bit in the art myself, that is before becoming a doctor…"

"So what exactly happened here Constantine?" Starling inquired, holding her hand up to her face (as the smell was less than pleasant).

"A runeologist uses a crystal and a certain type of rune to gouge holes in their victim's body from the inside out," Constantine explained, placing gloves on to her hand and gently lifting up a shredded flap of skin, "But the pain of having holes bored through oneself is so excruciating that the victim's heart usually stops beating before the wounds even reach the skin's surface. As gruesome as it sounds, it's actually a more humane way of killing a victim via runeology," She continued, pulling out some device and thrusting it into the opened torso of the man, "This however was not the case with this young man… whoever did this wanted him to suffer for whatever reason. They catalyzed an electric current to keep his heart beating during the duration of the attack. This poor soul did not bleed out, but yet his heart did not stop beating immediately…so his last moments must have been hell on earth. This could only have been done by a skilled runeologist…"

"But why him?" Starling inquired, trying to piece together the puzzle in her head, "What would Cypress gain from killing a common street thug?"

"Nothing," Advent replied, "But he must have been standing in her way of whatever she wanted inside of that building."

"My question is why would she cut off his head?" Ravess added, looking down at the dead man's body.

"Especially since he was decapitated after death," Constantine replied, "Is this _Cypress_ character one to participate in certain dark rituals."

"No," Advent replied, "But then again who knows why my twisted sister does half of the things that she does…"

"And it's not like we can ask anyone what happened," Aida sighed, "this building is completely cleared out."

"Regardless," Advent sighed, turning away from the group and heading out of the alleyway, "We shouldn't be wasting our time examining this man any longer. The Atmosian authorities will handle the situation from here on out. Our job is We should try to find Cypress, so this doesn't happen again."

"I do know," Constantine began, rushing up towards Advent, speaking in a low tone as so the other couldn't hear her, "That you didn't call for my assistance just so you could have me examine a body, my dear. What is the real reason you've rallied my assistance?"

"I have a squadron of twenty eight knights," Advent explained calmly, "One of them happens to be a dryadic healer…and one woman alone can not tend to the wounds of twenty eight individuals-"

"So you want me to play doctor on board your ship!" Constantine laughed, placing her hand on Advent's shoulder, "I must say my dear, diagnosing head colds for a group of Sky Knights so a _druid _can get some rest, is not my idea of a suitable job."

"And yet here you are saying yes!" Advent replied confidently, turning to look Constantine in the eye, "Am I wrong? And try not to be so prejudice against druids…it's not very becoming of a woman such as yourself."

"My heart does belong on board a carrier…" Constantine replied airily, "Your sister always knew that."

"There were a great many things my sister knew about you," Advent replied flatly, looking down at the filthy ground under her feet as she walked, "And that you knew about her-"

"What happened on that day was not my fault," Constantine interrupted promptly, "I could do as much to prevent the events afflicting young Cyclonis as you could have."

"Hmm," Advent shrugged, continuing to walk towards the main streets of Atmosia. Constantine opened her mouth as though to speak, but before she could say anything, the earth began to shift below them. The ground shook violently for several minuets, causing street stands to knock over and causing unsecured items to come crashing to the ground. Frightened shouts erupted from within the square of Atmosia and the tremors only got worse as the moments passed. Advent and her group rushed out of the alley and saw the rest of the squadron and the citizens of Atmosia shout in horror as they watched a large crack begin to sever the beacon tower in two. A large blackish stone then thrust from the crack, splitting the tower in two completely. The remains of the tower came crashing to the ground, leaving behind a large, black, spiny stone sundering the once proud Terra Atmosia. But the sundering did not stop. The black stone began to spread and grow like wildfire, splitting through smaller buildings and lining the streets with the tarry black stone. The stone stopped spreading once it reached the square, and the quaking ceased. The square grew eerily quiet, and it seemed as though everyone in the area had fallen deathly silent, awaiting something horrible. And yet, nothing. A soft wind blew through the air and the people of the square could faintly hear what sounded like a tuning fork.

"Does anyone else hear that?" Piper inquired, looking around the area for an indication of the noise's origin.

"Yeah," Cyclonis snapped, holding her hands up over her ears, "How could you not hear that!" She exclaimed, as though the tuning fork was being rung through an amplifier that was blasting in her ears.

"Guys!" Junko exclaimed, pointing into the distance, behind where the beacon tower once stood, "Look!"

Silently and slowly, an inky black spire began to arise from the clouds that shrouded the wastelands. It was detailed and ornate and slowly several dozen spires began arising from the gray clouds following the first spire. Soon the whole citadel was visible, and even though it stood at a respectable distance from the terra, it's reach was vast enough to enshroud half of the city in obsidian.

Dark clouds then dispersed into the skies, blocking out the sun and reaching to what appeared to be every corner of the Atmos. The clouds then opened, releasing a gentle yet ominous snow down upon the terra. The sound of the falling snow was so unsettling for the knights, it was almost like the calm before the storm.

"It's time for this world to end in the cold grip of death," They heard Cypress whisper, as though the gentle winds were carrying her calm voice through the air.

"What is that thing Master Advent?" Nova inquired as the squadron stood in the midst of the square, staring with awe and some terror into the black structure.

"Cypress," Advent replied quietly. Somehow she could feel her sister's indifferent and unaffected gaze staring down at her from atop the highest spire of the obsidian sanctum, challenging her to enter into her domain. But Advent knew that Cypress wanted her to strike immediately, or Cypress wouldn't have attacked the terra. But Advent also knew better than to enter Cypress's realm at this point. She could just hear her sister's cold voice hiss into her ear: _You are not prepared…_


	10. Chapter 9: Skyler, the Sky Knight Killer

[Author's Note]: Obsidian is a jet black volcanic glass that is formed by the rapid cooling of molten lava, better known as lava rock. Just clarifying :D

"It's time that you begin proving your worth," Cypress began, sitting upon a lightly frosted black throne amidst a dark and towering chamber inside of the obsidian sanctum. Meno stood to her right, and Anaxagoras stood to her left. His two brothers stood on each side of the large ebony doorway across from Cypress's throne. Skyler stood in the centre of the throne room, as Cypress's cold gaze stared down at her, "I'm not asking for much…just for you to do what you're best in. I don't want you to eliminate my sister just yet, but to send her a little message if you will. I'm giving you the chance you've been waiting for my dear…"

"Anteres?" Skyler hissed.

"With him out of the way," Cypress explained, "The Triad will be broken and then Advent will have no hope of stopping me."

"I could care less about the Triad!" Skyler shouted, taking a step towards Cypress, "All I want is to see that man dead."

Chapter 9

Skyler, The Sky Knight Killer

"I hate this," Finn groaned, leaning against the large wooden doors of the Sky Knight Council building lazily, pouting like a child.

"Oh come on Finn," Aerrow replied optimistically, leaning against the door beside him, "It's not that bad…and you did always want to replace The Red Eagles as Atmosia's protectors! Isn't that what we're doing? Protecting the terra?"

"No!" Finn growled, crossing his arms and kicking at the ground, "We're _patrolling the terra for any more suspicious activity_," he grumbled, imitating Advent as he spoke, "We're like over-glorified security guards now! Not to mention it's cold and raining!" He grumbled, looking up towards the grayish sky as the icy raindrops fell upon his face, "Oh…and if that's not bad enough, we have to do all of our _patrolling _with the Dark Ace!"

"You are aware that I'm standing right here," Ace began flatly, leaning against the door as well as he stared lazily into space.

"Don't remind me," Finn grumbled, shooting a dirty look at him.

"Can I ask you what your problem is?" Dark Ace scoffed, closing his eyes and shaking his head as he looked down towards the wet ground.

"Excuse me!" Finn snapped, turning towards him, "I'm sorry if I'm still a little bitter, after all, you did try to KILL us! More than once might I add…"

"And I suppose that just because I don't have a vagina that it's okay to still hold a vendetta against me," He replied bluntly, raising an eyebrow at Finn, "Or I suppose that you just feel sorry for Cyclonis?"

"Finn?" Aerrow exclaimed, looking over towards Finn, who was red in the face, "What's he talking about!"

"Nothing!" Finn snapped, "He's not talking about anything!"

"Oh please," Ace replied coldly, placing a cigarette in his mouth, "I saw you practically _undressing_ her with your eyes yesterday…possibly thinking about catching her on the rebound? She is quite emotional…But then again you've been making all kinds of eyes at all of the girls on the ship…not that I blame you though. I hear that Cloud's a real ten under those clothes, and Nova is pretty easy on the eyes herself-"

"How dare you," Aerrow snapped, before Finn could even get a word in edgewise, "Finn's a flirt, but he'd never take advantage of anyone like that!"

"Keep telling yourself that Aerrow," Ace sighed, taking out a lighter, attempting to get a flame, "Whatever helps you sleep at night…" He grumbled, still unable to obtain a stable flame, "Damn rain…" He grumbled to himself.

"You know what your problem is!" Aerrow growled, "You're a bitter, angry, unhappy person and…and you're just mean! You can't stand seeing descent people in the world, so you try and make other people look worse than you do because you're insecure!"

"Bravo," Ace replied, with a smile as he blew a puff of smoke in Aerrow's face, "But not quite…I'm mean because I'm a realist…I know that life isn't all sugar and rainbows like you Storm Hawks think it is. Not everyone is perfect…so what if Finn thinks about sex? So what if I'm a cynic? So what if you're a little too proud? We're only human after all." he concluded, turning away from the two boys and heading down the rainy streets of Atmosia, _It that kind of stuff that keeps us human._ he thought to himself.

"Where are you going!" Aerrow exclaimed, taking a few steps after him.

"Scouting for _suspicious activity_!" He replied, not bothering to turn around to face Aerrow or Finn as he continued down the street.

"Can you believe that guy?" Aerrow scoffed, shaking his head as he watched Ace disappear down the street.

"Actually," Finn replied, looking towards Aerrow, "I do…"

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Meanwhile, Sora, Cyclonis, and Piper were on the opposite side of the terra, examining the dark black mineral that now covered that part of the terra.

"Hey guys," Sora exclaimed, holding a small, bluish crystal up to a large collection of the stone, sticking up from the ground like several needles, "Check this out!" She commanded, gesturing Piper and Cyclonis to come towards her. They obliged and headed in her direction as Sora began to move the shard closer to the obsidian. She then pulled it away, and repeated the action several times, "Are you guys seeing what I'm seeing?"

"Yeah," Piper nodded in fascination as she took out her journal and began jotting down several notes on what Sora had discovered. The closer that she moved the crystal towards the obsidian, the more it began to glow. Sora decided to push the crystal towards the obsidian, just to see what would happen if the two materials met. The surface of each stones touched one another, and a bluish pulse went surging through Sora's hand as she was knocked back by the stones.

"That's amazing!" Cyclonis exclaimed, touching the surface of the dark stone, "This material amplifies crystal power!"

"And if it amplifies crystal power," Sora began, blowing on her hand (which appeared to be badly burned, "It must amplify runic and symbolic power too!"

"Which is bad," Piper began, looking up to the sky at the sanctuary that towered threateningly over the terra, "Cypress's whole castle is made of this stuff! And she's a runeologist right?"

"I didn't think about it that way," Cyclonis replied, frowning at Piper, "We should get back to the ship and tell Advent about this. This is obviously no ordinary obsidian…"

"Shogn't whe ell tha boysh!" Sora inquired with her burnt hand in her mouth, sucking on her fingers.

"Wha?" Cyclonis asked, turning towards her.

"I said," Sora replied, taking her hand out of her mouth, "Shouldn't we tell the boys? That we're leaving that is…"

"That's right," Piper replied, biting her lip as she thought, "I forgot that they're here too…I suppose we should go find them."

"I can find them!" Sora exclaimed, "That way you guys can go back to the ship and tell Advent about what we found."

"Sounds good," Cyclonis nodded as She and Piper turned towards Piper's heli-scooter.

"Just be careful Sora," Piper called as she watched the child rush into the blackened streets without another thought, her satchel bouncing playfully at her side as she ran, "I just can't wrap my head around that kid." Piper stated, watching Sora with some wonder and amazement.

"I know," Cyclonis nodded, "She's one of the most powerful people in Atmos and yet she's still such a child."

"Yeah," Piper nodded, "But I suppose that there are some stranger things in this world…"

"Anyway," Cyclonis began, turning to look at Piper, "I think we should start collecting some of this stuff…if we applied it to our weapons and other crystal-based arsenal, it might help us in the long run."

"But we don't know anything about this stuff," Piper replied, shaking her head, "It could be really dangerous."

"I know that," Cyclonis replied, letting her former self show a little, "But don't you think it's just as dangerous in Cypress's hands?"

"I guess you're right," Piper sighed, looking down at the inky black, glassy surface of the stone, "But I would feel more confident if we ran some tests on it first."

"Then we'll run it by Advent," Cyclonis shrugged as Piper climbed on to the heli-scooter. Piper nodded in agreement as Cyclonis then climbed on to the craft with her.

"Atmosia is bigger than I thought it was," Sora stated quietly to herself as she looked down at her shoulder and then frowned, _I forgot Sherekan isn't with me…_She thought, so accustomed to her furry companion sitting upon her shoulder, _This stuff is too dangerous anyway…I wouldn't want Sherekan getting hurt!_ She thought as she headed into the square at the centre of the terra, where she found Finn and Aerrow.

"Sora?" Aerrow inquired as she rushed towards the two boys, "What are you doing here? Did something happen to Piper and Cyclonis?"

"No," Sora replied, shaking her head, "They told me to tell you guys that they went back to the ship…they thought you guys should too…wait…where's Ace?"

"He ran off," Finn shrugged, "He's been gone for at least an hour."

"That's no good," Sora replied with a frown as she crossed her arms, "I guess that mean's I'll just have to go find him! In the meantime, you guys should get back to the tempest…we found out some pretty cool stuff about the rock that Cypress's castle is made out of!" Sora chirped, as she turned away from the two boys and continued down the street.

"That was weird," Finn shrugged, heading towards his skimmer.

"Finn," Aerrow whispered, as he seized his arm. Aerrow then pointed to Sora's right hand as they watched her rush off into the distance, "Do you see that burn?" He inquired.

"Yeah," Finn nodded as he looked down at the dark mulberry colored skin that now covered Sora's hand, "It looks pretty bad…but it doesn't look like it's bothering her…what's the problem?"

"I just have a bad feeling about it," Aerrow replied, heading towards his skimmer, "That's all…"

The Dark Ace stood at the border of where Cypress's dark citadel was anchoring itself to the terra, and where the city began. He stepped on to the black, glassy surface of the stone and felt something surge through his body. He cringed as he quickly stepped off of the black rock and looked down at the ground with disdain. He then crouched down and placed his right hand on the surface of the stone. His arm began to glow red from under his uniform and he quickly pulled his hand away.

"I understand now," He whispered, "This material was pulled from the far side… that's why it amplifies her power. But tell me how do I know that?"

"No doubt because you stole that arm…" A voice hissed from within the shadows of the alleyways. Dark Ace rose to his feet and looked around the area for the origin of the voice. But he was alone, to his knowledge.

"Who's there?" he shouted, looking into the dark alleyways. There was no reply. He turned away and began to head back towards the square, when suddenly he heard someone rushing at him, "What the-" He shouted as he seized the wrist of a young woman who was looking to attack him. There were long, thin, crystalline spikes protruding from her fingers, that were only inches away from his face. The woman the let out a scream as she slashed at his torso with her other hand. Ace let out a scream as he released his grip on her. He backed away and noticed his uniform was completely torn and there were four, long, deep wounds in his chest.

"You don't remember me…" She hissed, "But I remember you!" She was tall and thin with sepia colored skin and long grey hair. She was about Ace's age, although she had many scars on her face and only one eye. She wore a loosely fitting black tunic and close fitting black leggings.

"Who are you!" Dark Ace shouted, taking several steps away from her. But it was at that moment, he recognized her face, "Wait…you're that girl from Ciel!"

"YES!" She screamed, leaping towards him once again. This time she merely grazed his arm with her crystalline claws.

_Damn!_ Ace thought, as he clutched his arm, _She's fast!_

"I'm going to do to you what you did to my family!" She then shouted, placing her hands down on to the ground. The tattoos of symbols she had on the back of her hands began to glow red as the walkway below her began to sunder and envelope Ace's legs and hands, as so he couldn't escape. She then rushed towards him, striking him across the face, leaving three dark red scars across his skin. She then plunged her claws into his shoulder blade as he let out a scream, "I want you alive…" She hissed, "I want you to suffer the pain that you and your squadron caused me and my family…I want you to feel what they went through!" She growled, twisting her claws around in his skin.

Ace said nothing in response, he merely spit in her face (which, in hindsight, probably wasn't a good idea). She then retracted her claws and curled her hand into a fist and seized the collar of his uniform. She then began throwing her fist into his face repeatedly. Ace tried to break free of the stone, but he was growing weaker with each passing moment as he continued to bleed rather profusely. She then pulled a knife from her boot, and held it up to Ace's face.

"You know the old saying," She growled, moving the dagger towards Ace's eye.

"Leave him alone!" Sora shouted, leaping on to her back. She then let out a grunt as she tried to throw the child off of her back.

"Get off of me child!" She shouted, seizing Sora's arms and throwing her off her body. Sora went crashing down to the ground, and she directed her attention back to Ace.

"I said leave him ALONE!" Sora screamed as she lifted a small piece of the blackish stone off of the ground and threw it at her. The black stone collided with one of her hands and sent a pulse of energy through her arms, much like what happened to Sora when she pressed the blackish rock against her crystal. She then began to scream as her arm began to glow a pale bluish colour. She clutched her arm and rushed away from Ace and Sora, disappearing into the darkness of the alleyways. Ace was released from his bonds, but fell to the ground out of weakness, "C'mon!" Sora shouted, pulling on his arm, trying to help him up, "We've gotta get out of here!"

"Sora!" Aerrow shouted, landing his skimmer on the ground next to them. He and Sora then lifted Ace on to the skimmer as the pair then took off into the sky and towards the tempest.

"Who was that!" Aerrow shouted over the wind whipping through their ears.

"I don't know," Sora shouted back.

"Skyler…" Ace whispered quietly, before loosing consciousness.

99999999999999999999999999999

"Well it's a good thing that Sora found you when she did," Constantine began cheerily as she continued to remove the bandages from Ace's chest, "If Cloud had healed you even a few minuets later…you might not be here."

"Yeah," He replied quietly, staring into space.

"And you've got to start taking better care of yourself!" Cloud sighed, "You shouldn't have left Aerrow and Finn…but that's so typical of a man! Always running off, thinking they can fix everything on their own!" Cloud teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"Mhmm…" Ace replied, not really listening to her. All he could think about was the knife coming towards his eye, and Skyler repeating the words: You know the old saying, "An eye for an eye…" He whispered.

"Excuse me?" Cloud inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing," Ace replied, letting out a sigh, as he pulled the top half of his uniform back on to his body and began to re-attach his armor.

"Who was that madwoman who attacked you anyway," Constantine inquired, placing a cold pack against Ace's swollen eye, "Based on the looks of those scratches, I'd say that she was some sort of animal!"

"No," Dark Ace replied, quietly, "She's a…runeologist."

"I feel that there's more to the story than that my dear," Constantine began, replacing his facial bandages and reapplying new ones, "You obviously have met this assailant before…so who is she?"

"Her name is Skyler," Dark Ace began, "She was one of the activists in the anti-crystal protests in Dol Donnis."

"The anti-what in where?" Cloud inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"It was a religious uprising in the island terra of Dol Donnis," Constantine explained, leaning against the railing on Ace's bed, "It's about three miles north of the Caylo isles and about one mile west of Tropica. Many years ago, a religious group that believes in the god Leto began a protest against the Sky Knight council, declaring that the overuse and manipulation of crystals was against their god. They claimed that it was an abuse of the nature that their god had so graciously given to us."

"The council sent several squadrons out to Dol Donnis," Ace stated quietly, his mind thinking back to the time when he was still a Storm Hawk, "To maintain order and keep the peace…let's just say it got out of hand and some people…some innocent people got hurt for no reason." he sighed, rising to his feet. He didn't look at either of the women as he made his way out of the room.

"That man needs some serious help… Constantine stated flatly once Ace was out of earshot.

"Constantine," Cloud began quietly.

"Yes?" She asked, turning towards the young druid.

"Why does Ace have two different arms?" She inquired.

"Consciously," Constantine replied, looking away from her, "You know the answer to that question already…"

"I know," Cloud replied, looking down at the pristine floor of the hospital wing, "I just can't believe it…"

"Neither can I," Constantine replied with a sigh, "But you'll make it an effort to not make any mention of Ace or his arm to anyone else on board."

"Well," Cloud began, taking in a deep breath. But before she could continue her thought, Constantine interrupted her.

"That's not a suggestion," She replied, looking down at Cloud, "My dear if you know anything about Advent…let's just say that once you know one of her secrets, you keep it for life, or else."

"I understand," Cloud replied, letting out a long sigh.


	11. Chapter 10: Nine

[Author's Note]: First, WOW it took me forever to update, second: remember a looooooooooooooong time back when Cypress gave Anaxagoras an amulet? Yeah we learn about what it does in this chapter…so keep that amulet in mind. Also…I'm noting a lot of hits/visitors and that's super-special awesome :D but there is a definite lack of feedback…let's fix that please people.

Chapter X.

Nine

"I'm pretty sure the last time you were in here I told you not to overdo it!" Cloud jeered, using her dryadic healing methods in Ace once again, "And off you go, repairing skimmers, lifting heavy objects, doing everything I told you not to do."

"… …" Ace simply remained silent. For whatever reason, he hadn't felt much like speaking to anyone, whether he wanted to vocalize his thoughts towards their comments or not. Something inside of him was either feeling indifferent towards his colleagues, or scared of them. But He couldn't figure out why.

"You know," Cloud began, attempting to look him in the eye. He resisted, turning his head slightly away from her, the closer she got, "Apparently, all of us going to be together for a long time…you could try and let us get to know you."

"Are you finished?" Ace inquired calmly, still not looking at her.

"Yes…" Cloud replied quietly, pulling her hands away from him. She then took a step away from him, and then he rose off of his bed (This time in his room, rather than the hospital wing). He let out a sigh, and then turned to her and opened his mouth as though to say something.

"Before…you get to know me," He began, looking down at his arms, "Let me get to know me first." He stated, before leaving the room. Cloud then let out a sigh, and sat down on his bed after he exited the room. She looked around at the white walls, and noticed that there was nothing in this room other than four white walls, a bed, and a dresser. She had hoped to find something that might have given her an indication to his character, but there was nothing.

Ace let out a sigh as he silently shut the door behind him. He turned to walk down the hallway, and stopped abruptly as he looked down at the girl standing before him. Sora was staring at him amidst the halls, with Sherekan in her arms. They exchanged glances, and Sora gave him a warm smile.

"Hi!" She chirped, taking a step towards him, "Miss Advent says that I have to get to know my fellow…fellow…fellow something-erather! You know, us nine different Twilight Knights! Advent says that we're going to be spending a lot of time with each other, so I decided that I should talk to everyone on the ship! But I haven't really seen you much…I'm Sora!" She chirped, "You're name's Anteres right? Aida told me that-"

"It's Ace…" He replied quietly, interrupting Sora.

"Huh?" Sora replied, raising an eyebrow and placing Sherekan on her shoulder.

"I would prefer if you didn't call me by that name," Ace replied flatly.

"Okay," Sora replied with a smile, "Ace it is then!"

"Listen Sora," Ace replied with a sigh, scratching the back of his head, "It's not that I wouldn't want to talk to you, but now isn't a good time…"

"Why not?" Sora inquired, following after him as he headed down the hallway.

"I was busy with repairing my skimmer," He replied flatly, "Before I came down here that is…"

"I can help!" Sora exclaimed, following him into the elevator platform to the lower deck. Ace let out a sigh as he realized it would be futile to fight Sora.

"Sora," Sherekan's mechanical voice chirped, as the small creature stuck his face in hers, "Perhaps we should leave mr. Ace to his own devices…"

"Nonsense!" Sora exclaimed, tussling Sherekan's ears. Ace let out a sigh once again as he stepped off of the platform, Sora in tow. The trio headed into the hangar, where several members of the Twilight Knights apparently had the same idea as Ace, and were all tuning up their Skimmers and Heliscooters. Aida, Stork, and Junko were standing next to Junko's skimmer, arguing about something while Junko stood and watched (attempting to break it up). Aru was sitting on the seat of Leto's skimmer as the gangly troll nervously checked over his engine (in an attempt to impress her). Jean was across the hangar speaking with Starling about an issue with her exhaust port, and his sister Fontine was with him, looking about as thrilled as most sixteen year old girls are when people talk about vehicles. Lastly, at the very back of the hangar was Aerrow and Nova. The two were having an in depth conversation about something that was unrelated to skimmers or mechanics, and whatever it was, Ace could tell Nova wasn't too keen on sharing her knowledge with Aerrow. Regardless, Ace ignored them all, and moved towards his skimmer.

"Leto! Aru!" Sora chirped skipping across the hangar and heading towards the gangly bluish troll, who was crouched over the primary engine component for his rather large skimmer.

"Hey!" He shouted, as Sora came skipping up to his ride, "Wat you be doin' down here little one? Ain't de gardens more ya speed?"

"Yeah," Sora nodded, leaning over the engine component and reaching towards it, "But I can't stay in the gardens forever."

"I understand that," Aru replied softly in her sing-song voice, "Being trapped in the flight deck all day can get so tiresome…and it's quiet refreshing to see what the other knights do in their spare time…"

"Ya know," let replied with a slight laugh, "Workin' on our skimmahs ain't de only ting we knights do all day…"

"Oh you're so funny," Aru giggled.

"That was easier than I thought it'd be," Ace whispered quietly looking towards the three, kneeling down next to his skimmer, when he noticed Sherekan was still with him.

"Obviously you don't know miss Sora very well," Sherekan purred, brushing up against Ace's leg, "She has a severe focus problem you know…"

"Hmm," Ace thought, stroking the animal's ears, "Go figure." He added quietly, getting under his skimmer, to resume what he was doing. He was only under for a few moments, when he resolved that it would be in the best interest of his clothing, if he removed his shirt. He did so, and threw the garment on the seat of the skimmer, where it landed right on Sherekan.

"Hey!" The cat snapped, wrestling his way out from under the clothing. Ace ignored him, and resumed what he was doing, until he noticed someone leaning against his skimmer. He pulled out from under it, and noticed Ravess standing before him.

"If you aren't a sight for sore eyes," Ravess jeered, looking down at his face (now coated in engine gunk).

"What do you want Ravess," He replied coldly as he headed back under the skimmer.

"Oh nothing," She replied, kneeling down to the ground, so she could speak at his level, "It's just been a week since you joined the Twilight Knights…and I noticed you've barely spoken to anyone here."

"That's none of your business," Ace replied quietly.

"A little word of advice," Ravess began calmly, and possibly showing some… care? This was certainly a side that Dark Ace had never seen from her, but it had been two years since he had passed, "Just don't be afraid to let these people in…" She concluded, before walking away. Ace thought for a moment, and then pulled himself out from under the skimmer and rose to his feet. He opened his mouth as though to say something to her, but the doors to the hangar opened, which captured his attention.

"Hello," Advent chimed, looking around the hangar at the many faces who were eagerly tending to their skimmers. Piper, Cyclonis, Finn, Cloud, and Cyrus followed her into the hangar as she advanced towards Nova, "How fortuitous! I was about to call some of you down to the hangar bay, but as it would appear quite a few of you are already here."

"Master Advent!" Nova called, saluting her as she strode through the room, "What do you require?"

"Only a our nine newest knights," Advent replied airily, "Oh and you of course. I've received a distress call about a far-side rift that was opened by one of Cypress' Lieutenants on Terra Amazonia."

"His name is Anaxagoras," Cyrus stated flatly, "And from what we've come to discover he's Cypress' right hand in her endeavors."

"And as I'm sure you all know," Advent began calmly, "An open rift into the far-side would be bad."

"So our objective today is to shut it down," Cyrus stated.

"Excuse me Cyrus," Advent interrupted, "But I don't recall needing you on this mission."

"What!" Cyrus exclaimed, as a devious smile came across Nova's face, "It was my understanding that I-"

"I need you to stay here and take charge of the tempest in my absence," Advent smiled, placing her hand on Cyrus' shoulder, "And Starling will take Nova's place."

"Me?" Starling inquired, turning to her head towards Advent suddenly.

"Starling!" Cyrus snapped, "She's barely capable of protecting her own squadron let alone an entire battalion!"

"Cyrus this must be embarrassing for you," Starling snapped, "Considering that I'm standing right here!"

"And I stand by what I said," Cyrus hissed, turning to her, "Anyway why aren't Nikolai and Zelkovitz here! Those two are ranked higher than anyone else on board."

"They're off on their second honeymoon and won't be back for at least a week," Advent replied casually.

"Oh that's just perfect!" Cyrus hissed, storming out of the hangar.

"Why is she such a bitch all the time?" Finn asked quietly.

"Finn!" Piper exclaimed, elbowing him in the side.

"What! She is!" Finn snapped, jumping to his defense.

"We'll depart immediately," Advent began, heading towards her pristine white skimmer. All those who had their own transportation, climbed on to their vehicles, while Cyclonis jumped on to Nova's skimmer, and Sora rode with Piper. The group took off from the opened hatch and into the sky, as Cloud jumped into the open sky, reemerging from the clouds as a great grey owl.

Although the Tempest was not far from terra Amazonia, it felt as though the flight to the terra took hours, when in reality it was only a few minuets. The closer they got to the terra, the more they noticed several dark clouds hanging over the rain forest, much like the ones hanging over Atmosia and the Obsidian Sanctum.

"It's freezing out here!" Finn exclaimed, as the group pushed through the dark clouds, "And I can't see a thing!"

"Shut it!" Nova hissed, "We're almost there so stop complaining!"

"Woah…" Piper whispered, once terra Amazonia came into view. The plant life had shriveled and died and was now a pale grayish colour. A foot of snow covered the ground and froze the animal life on the terra to the point of death.

"This definitely my sister's work," Advent began, landing her skimmer, and stepping on to the freshly fallen snow, "She always did like things cold…"

"Then lets find that rift," Aerrow commanded boldly, "Atmos won't last very long if Cypress keeps freezing terras at this rate."

"Agreed," Nova nodded.

"Then we'll split up and search the terra for any sign of the rift," Advent began, "Nova, why don't you take Cyclonis, and the Dark Ace and cover the northern side. Aerrow, Piper, and Stork can cover the western side of the terra. Cloud, Junko, and Finn can cover the eastern side, and Sora and I will cover the southern portion. If you see anything suspicious call Nova or myself." She stated, handing two small copper devices to Cloud and Aerrow, "And try not to be seen."

And with that command, the group dispersed, heading in four different directions as instructed. The groups pushed through the thick brush that covered the terra, keeping a close watch on anything they thought might be suspicious and listening closely to the deathly silent terra.

"I don't think anything's out here," Junko shrugged, poking his head into a nearby clearing, "Just a bunch of snow…"

"Maybe the distress call was fake," Finn began, hoping Cloud would agree with them and turn back towards the skimmers.

"I don't agree," Cloud began, crouching down towards the ground and placing her hands on the frozen, snow covered, earth, "This terra speaks to me…" She whispered, her eyes closed, as she then lied her head down on the ground as well, "There are intruders… not far from here, hiding in a sanctuary that was once lost underground…Aerrow, Piper, and Stork are heading towards them."

"Then we have to help!" Junko exclaimed, ready to rush off to wherever Cloud directed him.

"No!" She exclaimed, taking out the small copper device that Advent had just given her prior. She pulled back the copper casing and opened up what looked like a complex watch. However, judging by the look on her face, something was wrong, "That's strange…it's not working…"

"What is that thing anyway?" Finn inquired, leaning over her shoulder.

"It's a communicator," Cloud replied, taking a step away from Finn, "Aida designed them…but I'm afraid I'm not that good with technology…"

"That thing's powered by a crystal right?" Junko inquired, looking down at the device, "If Piper were here I'm sure she'd be able to figure it out…"

"I know how to use it," Cloud stated, "I'm just not sure why it isn't working… Anyway, we're wasting time here…we should tell-" Cloud began, but something caught her attention. Her furry grayish ears pricked up as she turned away from Advent's direction, and moving into the woods. Her eyes were glassy, and she seemed as though she was being controlled.

"Where are you going?" Junko exclaimed, seizing her arm.

"I don't know," Cloud replied quietly, "I just think we should go this way…"

"Yeah…" Finn replied, his eyes becoming glassy as well as he followed Cloud into the depths of the rainforest. It wasn't long before Junko lost control of his person, and the three found themselves heading towards the centre of the terra, and towards the alleged rift generator.

* * *

"I'm not seeing anything," Cyclonis sighed, as she, Nova, and Ace looked down at the northern side of the terra from a high cliff, "Maybe we should just go find mo-I mean Advent."

"Why are you so scared to call her _mom_," Ace snapped, looking down at the Terra, through binoculars.

"Why are you so scared to show emotion period?" Cyclonis snapped, "We've been given a second chance to prove that the two of us actually have a soul…let your guard down for a change and, heaven forbid, let someone in."

"Yes you've been doing plenty of that haven't you…" Ace growled.

"Excuse me!" Cyclonis hissed, turning to look at him, "I'm trying to make my life a little more bearable! Like I said, I've been given a second chance to make up for the things I've done."

"Well what about me!" Ace shouted, looming above her. Cyclonis couldn't tell if she saw anger or sadness in his eyes, but then again he was always hard to read, "What have you done to make amends with me…" He asked quietly. She was silent for a moment, and when he didn't immediately receive a response, he turned away from her.

"I thought you didn't remember…" Cyclonis replied quietly, "And I…I was a different person back then. I would never-"

"But you did," He interrupted quietly, turning his head slightly.

"I hate to interrupt," Nova chimed, stuck in the middle of the argument, "But now really isn't the time or the place."

"Nova's right," Cyclonis nodded, but at that moment, her eyes went glassy, and so did Ace's and the pair made their way away from the cliff's edge and headed towards the forest, much like Cloud, Finn, and Junko.

"What are you two doing!" Nova exclaimed, as the two pushed past her. They ignored her call and continued forward.

"Nova!" Advent called, rushing on to the cliff, "Quickly! Come with me!"

"But what about-" Nova exclaimed.

"They're all heading towards the same place!" Advent exclaimed, beaconing Nova to follow her.

* * *

"In truth," Anaxagoras began calmly, pulling a strand of white hair out of his pale face, "I didn't think that it would be as easy as waving a crystal to command the nine Great Guardians of the Atmos, but then again, I didn't think a necklace could give me the power to command an entire army." He smiled confidently as Meno stood beside him, rolling her eyes at his arrogance. Anaxagoras kept the amulet that Cypress had given him so close to his person, that the chain nearly choked his neck, and Meno held a round and smooth crimson crystal in her hand, holding it above her head as it glowed wildly.

"I am telling you Anaxagoras," Meno began quietly, "Using the heart of Yseronde like this could end badly…"

"Oh Meno," Anaxagoras replied, rolling his eyes, "If Master Cypress is unconcerned by it…than we shouldn't bother ourselves with such things either."

"Yes sir…" Meno growled as she watched the nine helpless puppets emerged from the shadowy corridors of the sunken temple, hidden several feet below the ground of terra Amazonia. They walked mindlessly to the centre of the temple's altar where there was a large circle etched into the ground. Each pedestal that surrounded the circle had a different symbol carved into its surface, one for each guardian. They stood at their places and knelt to the ground. Nightcrawlers surrounded them on all sides, blocking each corridor of the temple so if by any chance they snapped back to reality, there was nowhere to run.

"Oh no!" Nova whispered as she and Advent watched the scene before them, hidden within the darkness of the surrounding hallways, "Cypress didn't send her minions here to build a rift generator… it was a trap!"

"But how did they obtain the heart of Yseronde?" Advent hissed, staring at the smooth stone in Meno's hands, "We must retrieve the stone…"

"Do you have a plan?" Nova whispered.

"Do I ever?" Advent replied in all seriousness. Before she could even move, the ground below the nine helpless knights began to glow a bright crimson colour and they were enveloped by a translucent red shield. The pair leapt from the hallway, cutting through the Nightcrawlers that stood in their path, Advent bearing her thin platinum rapier and Nova carefully aiming the barrels of her crystal guns at the pair. Anaxagoras rolled his eyes as he snapped his fingers as the small army of Nightcrawlers turned to attack the women.

"Attack," Anaxagoras sighed, shooing away the Nightcrawlers as the creatures leapt into the air.

"Bad idea…" Nova whispered, pulling the trigger. A greenish bolt of lightning fired from the barrel and struck one of the demons. However, it looked down at its torso, and smiled as it felt unscathed and continued to approach her. Nova then smiled confidently as the creature then began to glow green and imploded in on itself, and then disappeared in a flash of light.

"W-what!" Anaxagoras exclaimed, "Impossible! How did you-"

"A port crystal…they're exremely rare," Nova replied, thrusting another greenish crystal into the hopper under the barrel, "That nightcrawler is half way to the molten core of Atmos by now… and if you don't set those kids free…you will be too." Nova threatened, aiming the gun at Anaxagoras. The two lieutenants scowled down at the two women and stood their ground.

"What are you useless creatures gawking at!" Meno shouted, still holding the crystal above her head, "Attack them!" The Nightcrawlers looked around at one another and then towards Nova.

"Perhaps they need another demonstration," Advent replied casually. Nova nodded, and fired another shot, that went straight through the head of one of the creatures. It let out a scream as it was sucked in to the greenish light, and then vanished. The creatures then began to scramble, leaping into the air and fluttering past the women overhead, much like frightened bats. The echos of their flapping wings could be heard as the last of the demons flew out of the temple.

"Cowardly things!" Anaxagoras exclaimed, leaping down off of his perch and rushed towards Nova. She fired several shots at him, but Anaxagoras was too fast, inhumanly fast actually. In the blink of an eye, he threw his fist into Nova's face, causing her to fall down to the ground. He turned to attack Advent, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Where did she go!" Anaxagoras hissed, but before he could get a good look at his surroundings, Nova swung her leg across the ground, pulling his feet out from under him and knocking to the ground. He and Nova then leapt to their feet and began throwing their fists at one another. Not many hits were landed, for the pair was evenly matched. But Nova did have one advantage over Anaxagoras, and that was that she was a woman. All she needed was the right moment and the right opening to use her advantage against him.

"Stop wasting your time Anaxagoras!" Meno shouted, "You know that if I break my stance, the guardians will be released from their trance!"

"Good to know," Advent replied airily. Meno let out a gasp as her eyes fell upon her, and as quickly as Advent had appeared, she thrust her leg into Meno's torso, causing her to release the crystal and fall off of the ledge.

"Meno you idiot!" Anaxagoras screamed. Nova then used her advantage, and thrust her knee quickly and forcefully into Anaxagora's groin. He was silent as he fell to the ground, crippled with pain.

"Never send a man to do a woman's job Cypress," Nova sighed, rushing away from him in order to assist her master. But at that moment, the nine teens were released from Meno's hold and began looking around the reddish prison in a panic.

"What's going on!" Sora exclaimed.

Advent said nothing. She waved the crystal over the shield, and the reddish barrier melted, releasing them from the prison. But it was too late. The ground below them began to quake as the circle and the nine platforms started to glow a bright and violent red. It seemed like they were frozen in their places as they struggled to break free.

"You're too late," Meno laughed, wiping a bit of blood away from the corner of her mouth, "It's already begun. The power of the nine guardians will tear a hole in the dimensions and our brothers and sisters of the far-side will come and burn the earth!"

"No!" Nova shouted, rushing to push one of them out of the circle, but Advent stopped her. Somehow, she knew something would go wrong. And she was right. No rift opened and the circle began to glow even brighter.

"Hey!" Finn shouted, "I can move!" He exclaimed, running out of the circle. The other's followed, except for Ace. He stood screaming, gripping his right arm as it began to glow red. The earth then began to tremble and sunder where they stood. Nova rushed towards him and pulled his body from the circle. She griped his arm and was immediately burned by placing her hand upon it.

"We need to get out of here!" Advent stated sternly as the terra itself began to split in two. The group rushed out of the temple and across the forests to where their skimmers were. They jumped on and took off into the sky, flying quickly away from the splitting terra.

"What happened back there!" Cyclonis shouted in her mother's ear as they flew towards the Tempest.

"It would appear that I've made a grave mistake," Advent replied quietly, looking back at the terra.

* * *

"What happened?" Cypress inquired calmly, but angrily.

"I would appear," Anaxagoras quaked, "That something was wrong with the triad…"

"Perhaps if you knew which guardian was which…" Cypress scoffed, looking away from the pair, "Not even my sister knows…"

"There was something else master," Meno began, rising to her feet, "The eldest of the guardians…the Dark Ace…he is not what he appears to be either…"

"Explain," Cypress demanded.

"His right arm," Anaxagoras began, "It isn't his…I don't think that body is his…"

"No…" Cypress whispered, "She couldn't have…that's not possible…"

"What isn't master?" Meno inquired.

"Silence…" Cypress demanded, "You two…stay and watch the sanctum…I'm going to go visit my little sister…"

* * *

[Sidebar! Yay!] (A bit of a Spoiler alert too) there are three religions (all fake of course) that will be covered and mainly focus on in this story 1.)Letoism (Skyler's religion)-follows the teachings of the Earthen/terra God of Atmos, Leto (yes…the character is named after the God) who teaches people not to abuse the land he had bequeathed to them. Hated enemies of Runeologists, Symbologists, and anyone who uses Crystals 2.)The Twilight Vanquishers (don't they sound friendly…)-Those who believe Cypress is a Goddess sent to this earth by a higher power to cleanse the Atmos of unworthy beings and leave the Atmos free for them to rule (I.e. fanatics of the far-side and enemies of the Twilight Knights). And 3.)Scryism- People who interpret and follow the will of the Goddess Yseronde based on the predictions, readings, and teachings of the Scryers. Most Cyclonians were Scryists. These religions will not be immediately important but just keep Yseronde's name in your memory.


	12. Chapter 11: Simbiosi, Symbiosis

[Author's Note]: Okay so you know how back on Larkenus, Cypress showed her uber hate for Cyclonis? Yeah we're about to figure out A: why she hates Cyclonis so much, and B: officially what's going on with the Dark Ace and Advent (So I can finally stop dwelling on that). ALSO ALSO, so I'm accepting name suggestions for a fancy title-ish or name thingy for the Nine guardians of Atmos (cuz that's getting to long and tedious to say). The person with the best idear will receive…uhm…idk some sorta prize (I'll commission someone on Deviantart to make a keychain or something :/). Anyway, not the shortest chapter to date, but it's a nice break from the 14 and 15 pagers I've been throwing at ya XD

Chapter 11.

Simbiosi (Symbiosis)

Constantine rushed out of the door to the hospital wing, holding various devices and several bottles of clear liquid. As she hustled out of the door, Cyclonis rose to her feet and watched Constantine walk back down the hallway. She then sat back down on the cold metal bench outside. A few moments later she came back with different bottles and several clean towels. Cyclonis rose to her feet again and watched as Constantine headed back into the room, passing her without a word.

"Your knees are going to give out if you keep doing that," Finn stated, as Cyclonis sat back down. He, Aerrow, Piper, Junko, and Sora had accompanied her to the hospital wing while Stork stayed on the flight Deck with Aida and Innes, as they waited for Cloud and Advent to emerge with good news.

"I can't help it," She replied quietly, looking down at the floor, "It's just a natural reaction…"

"Gosh I hope he's okay," Sora began sadly, trying to catch a peak of what was going on inside. She cracked the door open, just enough to get a look.

"Close the door Sora!" Cloud snapped.

"EEP!" She squeaked, slamming the door behind her.

"I'm sure everything's gonna be okay!" Junko stated cheerfully, "I mean, come on, we're the chosen ones! Of course he's gonna be alright…right?"

"Yeah," Piper smiled weakly, looking at the door, "That sounds right…"

"I'll be back," Cyclonis sighed, rising to her feet.

"Where are you going," Sora inquired, still hanging outside the door.

"I just need to move," She replied quietly, "I'm going to take a walk…" She concluded, turning away and beginning to head down the hallway.

"Wait!" Finn called, rising to his feet. She turned to look at him and their eyes met for the first time, "I'll…go with you…" He stated awkwardly.

"Okay," She replied, with a slight smile as he caught up to her.

"I can't believe I'm actually saying this," Aerrow sighed, looking down at the floor once he knew Cyclonis was out of earshot, "But I really hope that he's going to be okay."

"We all do," Piper sighed, "Even though we don't say it."

"Then maybe we should say it," Junko replied with a smile, "Maybe he wouldn't be so…so…"

"Cold," Piper added with a frown.

"Yeah," Junko replied, "Maybe he wouldn't be so mean if we let him know that we actually care."

"Yeah," Aerrow sighed, "We haven't been acting much like a team lately, have we?" At that moment, Constantine stepped out of the room, looking calm, and slightly confident.

"He's going to be alright," She smiled. Sora's face lit up at this, and she moved to rush into the room, "Oh no!" Constantine laughed, pulling Sora back by the hood of her robe, "He's still weak…but he should be back on his feet in a couple of hours…"

"Oh," Sora replied with a frown, "Okay…" At that moment, Advent glided out of the room and faced the four remaining teens. She didn't look angry or upset, but then again she didn't look all to thrilled at that moment either.

"Is something wrong?" Piper asked, rising to her feet and taking a few steps towards Advent.

"I'm not entirely sure," Advent replied, placing a hand on Piper's shoulder, "But something is amiss. Nothing you need to worry yourselves with now however…if you'll excuse me."

"What was that all about?" Aerrow whispered once Advent disappeared down the hallway.

"I'm not sure," Piper shrugged, "But then again this whole place just seems a little off to me."

"Can't say I disagree with you," Aerrow replied.

* * *

"It doesn't make sense," Advent whispered to herself. As it would have appeared, she was no longer on the tempest, but rather inside of a dark, old library, too large to possibly be on the tempest. She had a large, ancient book opened up on the table before him. Written upon the aged pages, was the ancient prophecy of the scryers:

_The Clouds will part and the sky will split open as the Dark Lady of the cursed wastes will fall from the scar in the sky and engulf the world in snow and ice._

_But nine sacred souls will be born, given the gift to lock the Dark Lady and her armies behind the black door for eternity, never to return again._

_A Ranger_

_A Scryer_

_A Crystal Mage_

_A Rogue_

_A Scientist_

_A Grappler_

_A Druid_

_A Dark Ace_

_And A Sky Knight_

_They alone can banish the darkness and usher in a new era of peace over the Atmos._

"There isn't a detail I've missed," Advent said quietly to herself, "How is it possible that the Triad rejects Anteres Caylo!"

"Because he isn't entirely Anteres," A cold voice replied. It was harsh and frigid as the icy voice flowed though Advent's ears, she turned and looked around the large, empty library. She appeared to be alone, but she knew otherwise.

"Show yourself Cypress," Advent stated coldly, searching the room for a sign of her sister. She turned around, and suddenly found herself face to face with the only person in the entire Atmos she hated with a fiery passion.

"My silly sister…" Cypress sighed, circling her sister like a vulture, "As skilled a symbologist as you are…even you should know a few crystals and a couple gallons of blood a body does not make…But I suppose you learned that the hard way." She nodded, noting Advent's missing arm.

"You don't know anything," Advent hissed, touching the empty socket where her arm used to be, "You could never understand."

"You're afraid of me," Cypress began, only a few inches away from Advent's face, "You were terrified of me taking over this world…so you did everything in your power to bring your precious Dark Ace back to life, because you knew without him, I would win…but you ran into another problem didn't you?" Cypress growled, her voice quivering with anger.

"You could never understand why I did-" Advent began, a tear streaming down her face. But Cypress interrupted her.

"You made one mistake," Cypress screamed, face to face with Advent, who was suppressing tears, "One little mistake! You used half of Anteres' soul to properly catalyze his new body. And when you realized that, you substituted what you used by accident with your own soul…didn't you!"

"…" Advent was silent. Her eyes were closed, and her head was pointing away from her sister's.

"DIDN'T YOU!" Cypress screamed, demanding to hear the answer from her sister.

"…yes," Advent replied softly, tears streaming down her face.

"And on that night," Cypress growled, gripping her sister's shoulder, "You used one other person's soul to substitute for the piece you lost…"

"I did," Advent replied quietly. Cypress pushed Advent away from her as though she was a malformed creature.

"Name her…" Cypress demanded. Advent looked up at her, confused by the request, "NAME HER ADVENT!" Cypress screamed.

"Farrah," Advent whispered, as Cypress began circling her once again.

"Who was Farrah," Cypress growled, looming behind Advent.

"Your child," Advent replied shamefully.

"MY CHILD!" Cypress wailed angrily, throwing a pile of books off of a nearby table in a rage, "You stole my only child away from me and then you killed her to fulfill your own agenda! You Twilight Knights think you're so chaste and pure and noble! You're no better than myself…"

"You didn't give me a choice," Advent hissed, turning to face her sister, "That child was damned to become a monster just like you…and I vowed that I would not let that happen…even if it meant ending that child's life."

"It doesn't matter now," Cypress laughed ironically, "The triad is rejecting Anteres Caylo as the Dark Ace because part of his soul and part of your soul have been permanently fused together…and it will forever reject him because it comes down to the fact that Advent Dawnrunner is not a member of the triad and never will be! You've failed sister…and once I take control of this pathetic world…I'm going to kill him, and then make you watch as I kill Cyclonis. You took my child…and now I'm going to take yours."

"If you touch a hair on her head," Advent screamed, seizing Cypress' throat and slamming her body up against a nearby bookshelf, "I'll kill you…and that's not a threat, it's a promise."

"I'd like to see you try," Cypress laughed as she faded into the shadows, leaving Advent alone inside of the library, leaning helplessly against the bookshelf.

"If you touch her I'll kill you!" Advent screamed, her cries echoing throughout the halls of the abandoned library.

* * *

"Advent," Nova called nervously, standing across the room. She and Advent stood in a large white room on board the Luxirious, and Advent had ordered that no one be allowed inside of the chamber. There were a few blackish crystals placed in the centre of a large circle, and there were six runes written repeatedly around the edge of the circle, "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm positive," Advent replied, looking down at the circle gravely. She lifted a pail full of a reddish liquid and tossed the contents into the centre of the circle, covering the crystals, "Now leave me…I can't have you in here while I do this…" She stated, taking another pail of red liquid and throwing it on to the crystals.

"But Advent!" Nova exclaimed, "Something about this isn't right! I mean creating the body seems simple enough, but what are you going to do about his soul!"

"Nova leave!" Advent snapped, throwing the last of the red liquid on to the crystals. Nova then exited the room, as Advent held a vial of glowing bluish liquid up to her face and let out a sigh.

_This is all that remains of his soul,_ She thought, opening the vial and emptying the contents. Advent then took a deep breath as she held her hands over the circle. It began to glow bright red as the contents arose from the ground and began to swirl and take form. Advent let out a sigh of relief as it had seemed that everything was going according to plan. She could see the outline of his body form from the contents, but suddenly, the reddish liquid burst from the circle, sprawling out in many tentacle-like appendages that thrashed around the room, searching frantically for something. Advent let out a gasp as she backed away from the circle, but it was too late. One of the bloody tentacles wrapped around her right arm as another wrapped around her body. She knew what it wanted, and so she did not struggle. The tentacle ripped her arm directly out of its socket and dropped Advent to the ground like she was a limp doll. She was in such a state of shock by this, that she felt no pain at the moment, and watched as the bloody mass finally took a human form, and the body fell limply to the ground.

Advent smiled as she clutched the place where her arm once was. She scrambled to her feet as she rushed over to the body. She rolled the man over so she could catch a glimpse of his face. But he was cold and looked as though he was dead. Advent let out a small scream as she pounded the ground with her other arm. She then did something desperate. She painted a rune on to the ground using the blood around her and placed her hand over the symbol. She then began to cough and sputter as a small, pale, bluish orb of light floated from her mouth and gently floated towards the man. Advent then opened his mouth, giving the wisp the gateway it needed to enter his body.

The man then gasped as he took a deep breath and his red eyes opened, looking around the room frantically. He was naked, cold, and covered in blood. His heart pounded inside of his chest. He pulled the lengthy black hair our of his eyes and looked for signs of anyone. He then saw Advent, laying weakly on the opposite side of the room. She looked at him, and watched as he rushed towards her and lifted her off of the ground, and she smiled.

"w-what…" She began weakly, "w-w-what I w-went th-through to get y-you he-here…" She laughed quietly as she clutched the socket where her arm once was. He said nothing, he merely held Advent in his arms as he rushed across the room to where he saw the door.

"HELP!" He shouted, after attempting to open the locked door, "SOMEBODY PLEASE!" he screamed, still clutching Advent in his arms.

"Did you hear that!" Nova exclaimed, heading down the hallway with Ravess at her side.

"It sounded like it came from Master Advent's chamber!" Ravess exclaimed as the pair rushed down the corridor. They reached the door and Nova entered the combination to the door as quickly as she could. It slid open and the two women were completely stunned by what they saw.

He stumbled out of the door, gripping tightly to Advent, and leaving a trail if blood behind as he walked. Nova opened her mouth as though to say something, and Ravess looked as though she had just seen a ghost.

"Please…" he quivered, terrified by what had just happened to him, scared, alone, and confused, "She's going to bleed to death…"

"Right," Nova nodded, taking Advent from his arms and carrying her down the hallway as quickly as she could. He then stood, breathing heavily and unevenly, shivering as he wrapped his arms around his blood stained body and fell to his knees.

"D-" Ravess began, completely shocked by the man she saw before her, "Dark Ace?" He looked up at her, confusion and fear in his eyes. She brushed his damp, lengthy hair out of his face and their eyes met. He said nothing, he just shivered, still panting.

"Where are we?" he asked quietly, quivering as he spoke, "Where is Master Cyclonis…what happened to me…"

"You don't remember anything?" She asked quietly, taking off her magenta jacket and wrapping it around his body. He said nothing. He just shook his head in response. He pulled the jacket tighter around his body as he rose back to his feet, but at that moment, Ace began to cough, a small pool of blood landing on the ground before him. He wiped his mouth with his right hand, and then noticed that something was wrong, "Come with me…" Ravess began quietly.

"W-what happened to my arm!" He asked.


	13. Chapter 12: Security

[Author's Note]: Sorry I haven't updated in a while :/ it being Christmas time and all, not to mention my first semester of college just ended like 5 days ago *phew* So a few liters of Mountain Dew and a box of Marlboro later, here's the chapter XD. Anywho, I'm aware that The Dark Ace, Cloud, and Stork are not teenagers (and neither is Sora, but she's at the opposite side of the age spectrum) but writing 'the nine teens' is easier on me, m'kay? Also, just to remind, and for future reference cuz I know the super fans are gonna be like 'oh well The Dark Ace would never say/do that' but keep in mind in _THIS _story, DA shares half of his soul with Advent, so he's taken on some of her mannerisms and his disposition has become more light, for lack of a better word. So SHUSH XP

Chapter XII.

Security

It was a cool Sunday morning, when Advent found herself standing outside of the tempest on the large balcony that stood under the flight deck. She was letting the morning breeze rush through her hair as she let out a sigh, touching the place where her arm once was.

Advent couldn't seem to keep the memory of that fateful night out of her mind. Ever since the encounter with her sister, she kept going over the events one, by one, by one. She had remained conscious throughout the evening, despite the weakness and loss of blood. However, once the Dark Ace had been brought back from the grave, he fell into a coma of which he did not awaken from until two weeks before Sora had joined the Twilight Knights, causing most of his memory in the process as well. Still, it was almost as though she was subconsciously punishing herself for what she had done, because there was a certain part of that memory that she refused to remember. She had repressed it so far back that all she could stand to recall was her walking into the child's room, a smile, and then a scream. Everything else had been purposefully forgotten.

"You know if I didn't know you better," Constantine smiled, stepping out on to the deck with her, "I'd say that something was troubling you my dear…"

"I spoke to my sister the other day," Advent stated quietly, leaning over the silver railing, and looking down at the soft clouds below.

"Good Heavens Advent!" Constantine exclaimed, "Why didn't you tell anyone!"

"She made me think about Farrah," Advent replied, still looking off into the distance, "She said that I'm not better than her for what I did…"

"What happened that night was none of Cypress' business," Constantine replied, placing a hand on Advent's shoulder, "And it was not your fault…we are in war times my dear, and sacrifices must be made during war times."

"But she was so young Connie," Advent replied, letting out a long sigh as her watery blue eyes watched the world below her sadly, "A child should never be punished for the mistakes of the mother. That's something that we as humans often forget in this world. We're so focused on fulfilling our own personal agendas that we never think about who we're really harming in the process."

"Revenge is like a poison," Constantine replied, looking down into the clouds, "Once it takes hold of you, it spreads until it takes you over."

"That it does," Advent sighed. She pushed away from the railing and turned away from Constantine, heading back into the flight deck of the Tempest.

"Oh hello Miss Advent!" Innes smiled, as he pulled away from the helm for a few moments as he gave her a polite bow.

"Good morning," She replied quietly, but politely, as she strode past him to the opposite end of the flight deck. She pulled open the metal gate that separated the room from the elevator platform, and stepped on to it. She pressed the button for the second level of the ship, and waited as the platform descended to the deck below. The platform then ceased after a few moments as she stepped off, on to the lower deck and headed through the bright white halls of the ship, until she reached a large door that read: _Infirmary _overhead. Advent pushed open the door and headed inside, walking past a few doors before opening the second door on the left.

Eight of her 'unique' knights were positioned all around the bed at the opposite side of the room, nearly silent. Advent said nothing, she merely watched them for a few moments, observing them. Piper and Cyclonis were sitting next to one another, with Sora sitting down on the floor in between them, and Stork standing behind. Aerrow was leaning against the wall at the other end of the room, but still not noticing Advent, with Junko and Finn leaning against the wall also. And finally, Cloud was sitting at the head of the bed, brushing her pale hand through the thick black hair of the man laying down inside of it. He was barely awake, and he made no effort to speak.

"How are we doing?" Advent began with a smile as she walked deeper into the room, startling a quite a few of them.

"Hello Master Advent," Cloud began, rising to her feet. Those sitting followed her in standing, as they felt that continuing to sit would be considered an impertinence.

"Don't stress yourselves on my account," Advent smiled, gesturing the group to relax as she waved them along to sit, "And how are you this morning?" She inquired, walking over towards the bed.

"I'll be fine," The Dark Ace replied quietly. Advent let out a sigh as her eyes slowly moved from his face, to her arm. It was badly burned, along with other parts of his body. She placed her hand on his shoulder, and he winced slightly as her cold skin came in contact with his. It was hot, and rough. Advent sighed as she pulled a bottle from her white robes and walked around the bed to where Cloud was. She placed a vial of clear, bluish liquid in her hands. Cloud looked down at it and immediately knew what it was.

"Advent," Cloud whispered, holding the bottle up to the light, "Where on earth did you get this!" She inquired, turning to look at her.

"What is it?" Aerrow asked, raising an eyebrow as Cloud twisted the bottle in between her fingers.

"I know what that is," Piper began quietly, her eyes wide with slight amazement and fear, "Advent where _did_ you get that?"

"I don't see what the big deal is." Finn stated flatly, as he snatched the bottle from Cloud. Ace then propped himself up, snatching the bottle back from Finn and handing it to Advent.

"They're tears of a Valkyrie," The Dark Ace stated quietly, "They're extremely rare…"

"And extremely illegal," Piper added, looking at the bottle in Advent's hands, "How on earth did you get them?"

"I still don't see what the big deal is," Finn replied, with Junko nodding in agreement.

"Do you know what Valkyrie tears can do?" Cloud asked, turning to him. He shrugged and Cloud let out a slight sigh, "They can heal any wound, remove any blight, and even return souls to their bodies the moment they've passed, instantly!"

"It can also gives the drinker many supernatural enhancements," Advent began, rather calmly, "such as temporary invulnerability…which is why it could be fatal in the hands of Cypress. But we needn't worry about that." She concluded, handing the bottle back to Cloud, "I think you know what I want you to do." She replied with a smile.

"What?" Cloud inquired, looking at the bottle, and then to her. Advent said nothing, she merely nodded in Ace's direction and left the room.

"Oh no," Ace replied, shaking his head in defiance, "The last thing I need right now is to be in bigger trouble with the Sky Knight council! That stuff is illegal-" He continued, but suddenly, Cyclonis seized the vial from Cloud, uncorked it, and thrust the bottle into his mouth. The contents emptied, and she immediately threw her hand over his mouth, as so he did not spit out the contents.

"Swallow it," Cyclonis snapped, glaring at him, as he stared back at her with a look that said: I hate you so much right now…, "I said swallow it!" She snapped, as he wrestled with her to remove her hand from his face, "Dammit Ace!" She growled, and after about ten minuets, he gave in. Cyclonis then gently removed her hand as he stared at her hatefully.

He then opened his mouth as though to say something, but stopped, as he noted he had began to glow a pale blue color. His burns began to heal before his eyes, and the pain that he had been carrying around with him since he had been resurrected, had gone. The glow faded, and he crawled out of the bed, looking down at his now unscathed body.

"How do you feel?" Cloud asked, reluctant to touch him.

"I feel…" He began, "I feel okay." He replied quietly as he gently rose to his feet and began to place his uniform on to his body.

"Just okay?" Cyclonis replied, raising an eyebrow, "You don't feel different in any way? More…powerful perhaps?"

"No," Ace replied, attaching his armor, "I feel normal…" But before he could say anything else, the ship began to shake violently, as though experiencing some extreme turbulence. The nine teens fell to their feet.

"What was that!" Piper exclaimed, gripping the nearest stable object as she attempted to rise to her feet.

"Somehow I knew I was going to die young," Stork sighed, very casually.

"No one is going to die! We're probably just flying through another one of Cypress's storms," Aerrow exclaimed as he heard the clamoring sound of panic quickly arise from the voices of his team mates, "I'm sure it's nothing to worry abo-" He continued before he heard the static hum of the loudspeakers that were placed throughout the tempest.

"Do not be alarmed," A soft, but frigid and icy voice cooed through the hissing loudspeakers. It was at that moment when the lights began to flicker, and then shut off.

"I thought Advent said we shouldn't be alarmed," Finn whimpered as the ship began to make all sorts of creaking noises after falling deathly silent.

"Finn," Cyclonis stated quietly as each breath that she took began to form at steam in front of her, "That wasn't my mom…"

"Let's get out of here!" Junko stated nervously as he placed his large hand on the glass door, before reaching for the knob. He then looked down at his hand and noticed a thick ice coating the door and creeping towards him. He pulled his hand away and they all noticed that a thick frost had begun to coat the metal walls of the room. The Dark Ace then pushed his way towards the door and began pulling at the handle.

"The knob's frozen!" he growled, pulling away from the door and backing up as though he was going to ram the door down. He readied himself to rush towards it, when a shadowy figure rushed past the door, startling the group.

"What was that!" Sora screamed, clutching to Aerrow as the room's temperature dropped once again. For whatever reason, all nine teens stepped away from the door and huddled up in the far corner of the room as they watched the handle on the door turn. They heard the frozen metal creak and heard the lock click. The metal hinges moaned as the frozen door fell open, and the dull sound of a tuning fork being struck resounded through the room.

_There's that noise again,_ Aerrow thought.

A grayish skeletal hand then gripped the doorframe, and pulled it's spectral body into the room. It was wrapped and draped with black bandages, that flowed around its skeletal frame. The creature was also wearing a black cowl, hiding its face, all except for two bright blue eyes, and two ivory fangs. Another one of the creatures floated through the doorframe after the first, and that was followed by another.

None of them said anything, they just watched with fear and shock as the creatures floated towards them. The first thrust its bony hand out in front of it and by some unseen force, it pulled Sora towards it.

"Let GOOO!" Sora cried, as she tried to pull from the creature's grip. The other two creatures huddled around her as the first placed one of its bony hands on her head. What looked like a pale bluish smoke began to stream from her mouth, and into the hand of the beast. Sora tried to scream, but it felt as though the life was being drained from her.

The Dark Ace, as though possessed by some unseen force himself, quickly turned to Piper, and pulled something from the pouch that was hanging at her side. He held a small greenish crystal in his hands, and then held it out in front of him as it had changed from green to white. A rune then began to glow on the ground beneath him as the crystal then shattered into thousands of pieces, releasing a wave of white light that collided with the bodies of the dark ghosts. The creatures let out a screaming noise as they flew out of the room, dropping Sora to the ground as they did so.

"Are you alright Sora?" He asked, helping her to sit upright. She looked towards him with big tears hanging in her eyes.

"I don't want to be an adventurer anymore," She cried, wiping the tears away, "I just wanna go home…" She wailed, as she threw her small arms around Ace's neck and buried her face in his shoulder. He lifted her off of the ground and headed out of the door, the others following him.

"We should get to the hangar bay," Ace stated quietly, "I don't think I have to tell you all that it's not safe here anymore…"

* * *

Apparently, he wasn't too off in telling them to head to the hangar bay, for every other member of Advent's squadron had already arrived. However, the group surveyed some of the faces that were scrambling to their skimmers. At least half of them were gone, the present company was excluding Nova, Aida, and Starling. Aerrow's heart flew up into his throat when he realized that a good portion of the squadron was gone. He, like the rest of the group, thought they were dead.

"Oh thank heavens!" Advent exclaimed, looking uncharacteristically frantic as she threw her arms around Cyclonis, "You're all alright!"

"Advent," Aerrow began, feeling as though he was about to cry once he noted that the absent company's skimmers were still in the hangar bay, "Where is everyone else?"

"They're safe," Cyrus stated calmly as she appeared behind Advent, "Jynx is a commissioner for the Warp Gate transportation project. She took half the squadron through the experimental portal on board. We destroyed it quickly afterwards, but needless to say, the rest of the squad is safe, and we need to get you to safety as well." She concluded as a small regiment of skimmers took off into the dark grey sky that the hangar opened into. The group nodded as they rushed to their rides (those without, pairing with whoever they could), and took off behind Advent and Cyrus.

"Do we have a heading?" Ravess inquired, flying close to Cyrus.

"We're heading to the Luxirious," Cyrus shouted, "That's where the rest of the squadron is." And with that, the harem of skimmers took off into the dark and frigid clouds towards their destination, keeping close together and following tightly after Advent and Cyrus. It was at that moment, they heard the moaning of metal. They turned around and watched as the frozen mass of now useless metal formerly known as the Tempest went plummeting towards the wastelands.

Advent watched with anger and some hatred as she watched her proud vessel fall to its demise. She clutched her fists tightly, but pressed onward, knowing that protecting the nine guardians was vastly more important than her carrier. She let out a long sigh, and continued to fly onward.


	14. Chapter 13: The Culling of Terra Merb

Chapter XIII.

The Culling of Terra Merb

"What the hell were those things!" Snipe shouted the moment Cyrus touched the ground of the hangar bay of the Luxirious. She gently pushed him away, thoroughly irritated by the situation.

"How should I know!" She hissed, "I'm not an expert on far side creatures!" She growled, pushing past him and heading towards Cyclonis and the Storm Hawks, "You're the only ones here that have ever been to the far side and lived to tell the tale! So tell us, what were those!"

"We're not sure," Aerrow shrugged, looking around the room frantically, "I've never seen anything like those in my life!"

"Their called cold wraiths," Cyclonis stated quietly, looking down at the ground, "And they aren't from the far side…in fact, I wasn't sure they existed until now."

"But what are they?" Aru exclaimed in her light airy voice.

"They're spirits of the departed," Cyclonis stated quietly, "Or ghosts, fallen souls who can never move on. But their forsaken and their spirits are so frozen with hatred, anger, and remorse that they feed on the warmth of other souls…living souls. They attack and feed on the spirits of those who are the happiest…mostly children…ergo why it went after Sora, and not one of us."

"But I still don't understand," Ravess began, turning towards Advent, "If they aren't from the far side, how can Cypress control them?"

"I don't think that Cypress sent them," Advent replied quietly, "She may have control over the far side creatures, but magic is the only thing that could have brought the wraiths here, and my sister is no arcane academic."

"So what do you think we should do?" Aerrow inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"As ironic as it sounds," Advent stated, with a slight laugh, "I think we should get depressed. If there's no happiness to feed on, the wraiths will have no reason to come to us."

"But as for the nine of you," Nova stated sternly, "Do nothing…leave the investigating to the _other _knights."

"Yes," Cyrus snapped, crossing her arms, casually glancing at all those below her in rank, "let the knights who's lives _don't _matter put themselves in harms way." She laughed darkly as she pushed past the group and headed towards the opposite side of the hangar bay.

"That was morbid…" Nypherious scoffed, pulling a strand of black hair out of his face, "Even for someone like me."

"I'm going to pretend that she didn't just say that," Snipe growled, sneering at Cyrus as she headed into the hull of the Luxirious.

"Advent!" The tall grey rabkin exclaimed from across the way, several familiar faces following quickly after her. Advent let out a sigh of relief as Jynx and the rest of the squadron headed towards the others.

"Is everyone alright," Advent inquired, scanning the faces of the group.

"Everyone's fine," Jynx stated reassuringly, "But I insist that we head to Terra Anu as soon as possible."

"Regardless," Aerrow called, making his way into the conversation, "The tempest is gone…before we do anything, we're going to need a new carrier."

"Why do you suppose we kept that around," Nova stated, nodding towards the large, rather old and weathered carrier, hanging high above her head. Aerrow knew this carrier well. It was the Condor.

"OH NO!" Stork shouted, only inches away from Nova's face, "You can treat your ships anyway you want! But that is MY SHIP!" He shouted, pointing up at the vessel, "DO YOU HEAR ME! MINE! And I will NOT watch it go crashing down into the wastelands! I have-"

"Stork," Piper called, placing a hand on his shoulder. He let out a sigh and looked back towards her.

"I'm not actually suggesting that we take the condor," Nova stated, with a slight smile, "I was joking…besides I'm pretty sure we'd only put the condor in harms way unless it was absolutely necessary. After all, that's why the Luxirious exists!"

"What do you suppose we should do for now Master Advent," Nikolai inquired, his large body looming over Advent.

"Gather the squadron commanders," Advent gestured as Nova, Nikolai, and Aru followed Advent across the hangar bay, "We will convene in my chamber immediately to discuss our next course of action."

"So what now?" Cloud asked, turning to her fellow guardians once Advent had left, her canine ears drooping sadly as she spoke.

"I'm not sure," Starling shrugged making her way towards the nine teens.

"I be havin' a feelin'," Leto began, walking up to the group, "As to what be happenin' next… I tink Advent is gonna be separatin' us…again."

"You really think so?" Starling inquired, sounding a little less than thrilled with the idea.

"What do you mean _again_?" Finn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Advent split da squadron about a month be for we be finding' all nine of ya," Leto explained, the eleven individuals standing quite close to one another as so none of the other nights would be listening in on their conversation, "Unda da heavy advice of Cyrus of course…She divided da squadron in da hopes dat we be findin' da guardians of Atmos quicka. Before we found Sora we reformed…but accordin' to what I be hearin'. She's tinkin' about doin' it again. Advent tinks it might throw Cypress off our trail."

"…That's a crappy idea," Dark Ace then exclaimed after several moments of secretive silence.

"Shh!" Cyclonis snapped, giving him a forceful punch in the arm, "Subtle as a brick wall this one!"

"I can't say I disagree though," Aerrow replied, rolling his eyes, "That's definitely not the best plan I've ever heard."

"I don't know what it is about Advent that immediately trusts all of Cyrus's judgment," Starling shrugged.

"I think it may have more to do with the fact that she doesn't trust her," Cyclonis stated, shaking her head. Everyone in the group looked at her, slightly confused, all except for the Dark Ace, who was glancing awkwardly around the room, as though knowing something that everyone else did not.

"Have something that you'd like to share with the rest of the class, pal?" Finn inquired sarcastically. Ace said nothing. He looked down at Finn with an expression that read: I have no idea what you're talking about.

"No…" Ace stated, stepping away from them slowly, "I don't have anything to say…I'm just going to…see what's up with…Aida! Yeah I'm going to go see what is up…with Aida…" He stated, walking away from them as quickly as he could.

"Wow…" Aerrow began after several moments of awkward silence, "I'd say he's hiding something!"

"And you can bet I'm going find out what it is," Cyclonis growled, glaring Ace down as he continued to walk away from the group.

"Why don't you guys leave that to me," Cloud suggested, looking around nervously, "I think I could get through to him."

However, just before Cloud could follow after him, a siren began to sound throughout the halls of the Luxirious. The other knights quickly shifted their attention to the sound, and rushed from their skimmers and carriers to the door at the opposite end of the hangar bay, and through the large white hatch that lead into the inner chambers of the floating city. Sensing that they were meant to follow, the nine newcomers headed after the army of knights and took their first official steps into the Luxirious.

"Oh my god…" Aerrow whispered, looking up into the inner chamber of the majestic hull. The chamber stood several hundred stories high and several hundred feet wide in diameter. The room was circular in shape, with what appeared to be a pendulum hanging from the ceiling hundreds of feet above them. Below the pendulum was what appeared at first glance to be a large circular reflecting pool with a small silver railing around it. However, upon closer inspection of the water, the reflection upon the surface wasn't displaying the ceiling above, but rather various images of Atmos, almost as though it was surveying the world below. As they looked up, they could see each level of the chamber clearly, because for each level of the inner chamber there was a smooth metal balcony that extended out into the centre of the sanctum, each slightly larger than the last, until they noticed the balcony of the highest level had only (what appeared to be only because it was so high up) a small hole in which the wire chord of the pendulum could hang through freely. Lastly, there were breaks in the guard rails of each balcony, one on each side, where several small floating platforms powered by a bright white crystal, ascended and descended in sporadic fashions throughout the chamber. Many knights, and other similarly dressed personnel were walking back and fourth on each of the levels, heading through the many doors that lined the walls, however, once they heard the alarm sound, they all scrambled to the edges of the balcony. The reflecting pool was vast enough that one could look into it from up top one of the much higher levels of the inner chamber, however, many of the personnel of the Luxirious had to move down to the lower levels in order to get a good look at the commotion centered around the pool.

"What's it doing!" Sora chimed curiously as she leapt on to the silver railing that surrounded the pool.

"Somethin' ain't right here," Leto replied darkly as he pulled Sora off of the railing by the hood of her black robe. Indeed, something was definitely amiss. The water in the pool previously showed a calm and peaceful image of Terra Gale, but was now swirling with what appeared to be black ink. After a few tense moments of waiting, an image began to form. The Terra they now saw before them was dark, barren, and sundered. The bleak landscape had been set ablaze and what looked like a village was burned down to the ground. It was a known Terra, but very uncommonly visited. Stork looked down in the reflection and felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach. It was Terra Merb. Stork looked across the length of the pool where he saw the face of Nympherious. Stork could sense that they were both feeling the same thing, only Nympherious didn't show it. He then felt a hand fall on his shoulder. He turned to look, and saw that it was Piper. She gave him a look that said: I'm sure everything is all right. Stork said nothing in reply. He merely took her hand quietly and watched along with everyone else. The room was silent as the vision became more clear.

Bodies. At this point, it was starting to effect them less and less, that is seeing bodies strewn disrespectfully across the ground like that. However, this time it was a little more personal. After the vision came into focus, Nympherious stormed out of the room, possibly to go deal with his emotions where no one would see him break down. Stork on the other hand, was silent. He didn't quite know how to react, or even what to do. He secretly hoped that this was some scare tactic put in place by Cypress, but the images of the town, the fire, and his people stuck. Something about it was all too real.

"I hope you all enjoyed my little display…" Cypress' voice echoed throughout the silent chamber of the Luxirious, "Terra Merb is but the first of many in my Culling. By the time I am through with the Atmos, it will be nothing more than a withered husk of the world it used to be." Her voice then faded as well as the destructive image of the freshly culled Terra Merb. Advent was seen, standing before the reflecting pool, looking into the water with shame.

"Go about your business," Advent stated quietly. The room then began to buzz with concerned and panicked whispers, "That's an order!" She then commanded louder and with more authority. The other knights and personnel then dismissed and dispersed throughout the chamber and went quietly about their business, whispering amongst themselves as they did so, "My squadron…convene in my chambers immediately…" The knights that they had grown to know followed Advent out of the chamber. However, the nine teens stood behind, for usually they weren't included in this sort of things.

"She means you too…" Nova shouted, turning around to look the group in the eyes. With some surprise, they followed after Nova, and into the deeper recesses of the city in the sky.

* * *

"I say we mount a full scale attack on that citadel of hers!" Snipe shouted, pounding his massive fists on to the circular table before him. The entire squad was in a large white room, seated around a large round table, upon which was a map of the entire Atmos. Upon the map, there were two large black 'X's over two terras. The first was over Terra Larkenus. The second was over Terra Merb.

"It's only a matter of time before she takes out Terra Atmosia anyway," Nikolai stated darkly, "And seeing as how it is our most important stronghold…"

"She won't take it," Cyclonis said quietly, staring down at the map, and the two hideous black scars painted across it.

"And excuse me," Cyrus growled, raising an eyebrow, "But how would you know that!" She continued, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.

"Did you forget that I have come this close to taking over Atmos!" Cyclonis snapped, throwing her hands down on the table, piercing through her sharp golden eyes with a deadly look, "Not to mention, part of her soul used to be in me…I know how she thinks…and I know what she's doing!"

"How do we know-" Cyrus then began haughtily.

"Let her speak!" Aerrow interrupted angrily, shooting Cyrus a hateful look.

"Thank you Aerrow," Cyclonis replied, a little surprised at the fact that he had just jumped to her defense. Aerrow merely nodded at her and gestured her to continue, "As I was saying…Cypress won't attack Atmosia. If she merely holds the threat of taking out our head Terra, she will theoretically have control over us in the sense that we'll abide by her rules of war until she gets bored with us and takes it out anyway."

"Then what do you propose we should do?" Advent asked softly. Cyclonis knew that Advent already knew the answer to this question. As a matter of fact, Advent often asking questions that she already knew the answer to.

"We wait," Cyclonis replied, a little nervously, seeing as how the spotlight was on her, "Odds are she's going to cull another Terra, sooner rather than later most likely…so we'll set up the other knight squadrons on various Terras. When Cypress and her army comes, we'll fight back and provoke her into attacking Atmosia. Once she does, we'll launch a counterstrike on the citadel."

"Then it's settled," Advent replied with a slight smile and a nod, "Nova…deploy the other squadrons to some of the more densely populated Terras. As my daughter has then instructed…we wait."

"This is ridiculous," Cyrus snapped, rising to her feet, "Why don't we simply just storm the citadel now!"

"Because I'm not leading our squadrons to the slaughter…" Advent replied coldly, 'She won't expect it if we launch an attack during another attack…strategically, it makes more sense than to just rush blindly behind enemy lines."

"Her forces will be significantly weaker if she sends half of her army to cull a terra," Nova stated flatly, "So we would have numbers on our side…not to mention she wouldn't see it coming."

"All in favor of Cyclonis' plan," Advent commanded softly as she gently lifted her hand into the air, along with Cyclonis. Nova, Leto, the Hawks, Ravess, Starling, Ace, Cloud, and Sora, along with several others raised their hands in agreement. Advent then gave a slight smile and a gentle nod, "Majority rules…we wait…"

* * *

**[Author's Notes]: **Hey! Holy Cow it's been a while! Anyway my midterms are over and I'm feeling less school pressure lately, so I'll be updating soon (hopefully). Anyway, I'm trying to get more and more of the characters to get personally involved with what's going on. So I decided to start with Stork! Idk, I just felt as though unless the Condor was involved, he didn't really care much, so I decided to 'hit him a little more close to home'. I'm not picking on poor Stork, because something horrible is going to happen to all the characters :D Anyway, for those of you who don't know what a 'culling' is, the textbook definition is: to remove somebody or something as worthless. Cypress thinks that the humanoids of Atmos and their respective Terras are worthless, ergo, the world 'culling' works in this situation :P So that's about it! I'm throwing some romance into the situation soon so keep your eyes peeled for that too!


	15. Chapter 14: Call to Arms

"And what exactly do you make of this _plan_ of theirs?" Anaxagoras inquired softly, as Cypress sat, domineeringly upon the large volcanic glass throne amidst the vast frost coated chamber. She then looked towards him casually, as staring off into space and ignoring his question would be impertinent of her. Not to mention, it was only them in the room. Still, she said nothing. She gave him a look of discontentment as she let out a slight sigh. She then uncrossed her legs and leaned back casually against the cold throne.

"Where are the rest of my lieutenants?" She inquired, looking away from her right hand and off into the distance. Anaxagoras then looked down at the ground and let out a slight sigh. He turned to one of the Nightcrawler sentries, guarding the entryway to the throne room. Without saying a word, the sentries nodded, and exited the chamber.

"With all due respect master…" Anaxagoras began, as not to offend her, "Would it not be in our best interest if we ehm…_tied our loose ends_? After all Skyler is-"

"I know what you're suggesting," Cypress snapped, still not looking towards him, "And no…Skyler is useful to us for now…When the time is right, we shall send her on Anteres Caylo, but for now I'd like to keep those nine _defenders _alive."

"But why master!" Anaxagoras shouted in confusion, "The whole lot of them have bee nothing but a thorn in our sides! If Skyler can kill one of them now, she'll have broken up the triad and the other eight will be useless! Then we can end Skyler's existence. Let's face it, she's reckless, dangerous, and impulsive. Not to mention, she has no idea of what her brand of runeology is capable of."

"As I just stated," Cypress snapped, sick of her redundancies," Skyler is of some use to us for now…I don't expect someone of your intelligence to understand, but I need that triad in order for my plans to work."

"And what might those plans be master?" Anaxagoras asked haughtily. Cypress then shot him a frigid look. He lowered his head down to avert his eyes from her in response, though he was still rather frustrated with her.

"That is a need to know basis," Cypress replied, correcting her posture, "and you do not need to know…" Anaxagoras looked down towards the ground. It was apparent that he was offended, but he kept quiet, "As for young Master Cyclonis' plan, she will fail…it is poorly thought through and they have small numbers, which in this situation would be a disadvantage to them."

"You sent for us Master?" Anaximenes began nervously as he stepped into the chamber, followed by the frigid Anaximander and Skyler. Cypress looked to her right hand man, then to the amulet around his neck, and then to his red haired brother. Anaxagoras looked to Cypress and then to his red-haired counterpart with some disdain as he removed the green amulet bestowed to him by Cypress from his neck, and handed it to him. Anaximenes looked confused, but pulled his red hair out of his face, and placed it around his neck, awaiting further instruction from his dark mistress.

"Take Skyler," Cypress began casually, "Follow my silly sister and keep your watchful eyes upon them. See what they're up to…"

"With all due respect." Anaxagoras growled, brushing his pearly white hair out of his pallid face, "If he is just doing reconnaissance, why does my brother need my amulet?"

"Actually it is my amulet…" Cypress replied haughtily, not bothering to look him in the eye, "And on the off chance that he and Skyler run into some trouble during their excursion, I would like them to be able to call fourth my minions…and I would like for them to be able to keep the _reigns around their necks_, so to speak."

"All of you are dismissed," Cypress gestured, as the four beings turned and exited the chamber. Cypress was presumably by herself. She let out a light sigh and turned to one of the many dark shadows of the throne room, "It's all right Meno…the undesirables have left us…"

"Why do you keep them around," Meno scoffed, crossing her arms indignantly as she tucked her black locks behind her ears, "If you're just going to kill them all anyway?"

"I have some use for them all yet," Cypress replied darkly, "Little do they all know that Anaxagoras' amulet is practically useless in the long run." She began, rising to her feet and reaching into her inky black robes. Cypress pulled out a clear glass tube that was about a foot long. There were two pewter caps at each end of the tube, both resembling claws of some beastly creature. Inside of the glass tube was a pale greenish glow. The reliquary dangled from a long black leather chord, and Cypress let the object swing lazily back and fourth, "_This _is the object in which I sold my soul for…not that silly little trinket of Anaxagoras'…"

"This old reliquary?" Meno inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Chapter XIV.

Call to Arms

"So how have you been feeling lately?" Cyclonis inquired softly. It was morning, the next day, and in truth, morale was low amongst the Twilight Knights. The weather outside was clear, bright, and the opposite of how most of the ship had been feeling. Advent had taken a new carrier for herself from the 'excess' that was available on the tempest. Needless to say, squadron six was not happy, but seeing as how Advent is the head of the Twilight Knights, they didn't have much of a choice. Regardless, Advent's squadron had comfortably found this carrier as their new home (at least until either Stork caved and allowed them to utilize the Condor, or until the Tempest could be rebuilt). Thankfully, each Twilight carrier was equipped with their own Botanica. The artificial gardens proved to be a nice escape from all of the mechanics that they dealt with every day.

During this particular morning, Cyclonis had found herself within the Botanica, with a clear watering can in her hands, pacing back and fourth between an array of bizarre orange flowers, sprinkling them as she casually passed by. Ace had also entered the Botanica, hoping to be alone. In truth, he wanted to be alone, and she was the last person he had wanted to be alone in a room with. And consciously, Cyclonis knew that.

"Since when have you been so interested in my well being?" He replied darkly, pretending not to be bothered by her presence.

"Fine then from now on I'll ignore you," Cyclonis replied coldly, "Because I'm sensing that is what you want. But at least give me some credit for trying."

"Listen," He replied, with an annoyed sigh, "It's not as though I don't applaud you for your efforts in atonement…it's just that I'd like some space, _away _from you."

"You always were honest," Cyclonis replied feebly, as she looked down towards the ground, and walked past him.

"Wait," He demanded, seizing her forearm before she could get away from him, "One more thing…"

"Yes," She replied.

"How much longer are you going to wallow in your own self-pity," he asked flatly, "And start acting like the woman you used to be?"

"The day you can find it in you to forgive me," She replied honestly before heading towards the exit door of the Botanica.

"Then you could be waiting quite a long time," Ace shouted before Cyclonis stepped out of earshot.

"Then that's a risk I'm willing to take," She replied, turning to face him with a contemptuous smile before leaving the Botanica.

_She's so stubborn…_he thought quietly, looking up at the various flora that inhabited the green-house, _Just like her mother…_

He then found his train of thought interrupted. His chest began to burn, and before long he was in a coughing fit. He pulled his hand away from his face and noted a blob of reddish liquid in the palm of his hand. He scowled down at it, as he wiped away the blood from the corners of his mouth with his sleeve. Evidently his case was more severe than he or anyone else on the ship had been lead to believe, only he secretly didn't want anyone to know that his symptoms had returned.

"Hey!" He then heard a voice chime from behind him, "Someone told us that we could find you down here!" He turned around and saw Cloud, Sora, and he pet Sherekan.

_Damn it,_ He thought, throwing his hands behind his back, as so Cloud wouldn't want to rush him back to the infirmary.

"What do you have behind your back?" Sora inquired innocently, cocking her head to the side, as so she could perhaps catch a glimpse.

"Nothing," Ace replied flatly, "It's none of your business."

"If it's none of our business," Sherekan replied, as the collar around his neck began to blink accordingly with what he was saying, "Then it isn't nothing then is it?"

"I don't have to respond to you," Ace replied defensively, "You're a cat!"

"Uncalled for!" Sherekan replied, obviously hurt (Sherekan didn't feel that intelligence was reserved only for those who possessed two legs).

"Let me see!" Cloud demanded, seizing Ace's arm, before he even had the chance to get out. Cloud was a bit pushy, and in truth, the others couldn't figure out if they liked that about her or not. She looked down at the palm of his hand, and the sleeve that was slightly stained as well. She looked up at him with two irritated emerald eyes. He let out a sigh of frustration and let himself be dragged off by her to the infirmary,

"Wait!" Sora chirped, "Where are you guys going!"

* * *

"I don't need any of your help!" Ace shouted, trying to fight his way out of a square white room (which he was all too familiar with).

"Listen you!" Cloud shouted, standing before the door, knowing that he would never strike down a woman, "You're sick and you know it! So you have one of two options, either sit down and let me treat you, or I'll force you down and treat you!"

"You're really going to try and _force me down_…" Ace replied sarcastically, "Fine…but you're going to have to buy me dinner first."

"Is this some kind of joke for you!" Cloud snapped, pushing him away from the door, "You've been given a second shot at life, and you'd rather throw it away than swallow your stupid pride and admit that you might be a little weak! I swear I will never understand men!"

"Fine!" Ace shouted, rolling his eyes as he stepped across the room and towards the examination table. Thankfully, Cloud had already done him the favor of (forcibly) assisting in removing his armor, so taking off his uniform shirt was no problem.

"What are you doing?" Cloud replied nervously as the fabric began to slide off of his body.

"Don't act so modest," Ace replied, rolling his eyes once again as he tossed the shirt on to the floor, "This isn't anything you haven't seen before…"

"yeah well…" Cloud replied, averting her eyes from him. He looked at her, and for a moment, he could have sworn he saw her cheeks turn a pale shade of pink. Cloud was embarrassed for whatever reason, and he didn't know why, but this amused him, "Things look different lying down on a table…is all…" She concluded. She then noticed that he was staring at her with the most arrogant of smiles across his lips, "WHAT!" She snapped, unsure why she was so particularly _bothered _by him today.

"Nothing," He replied quietly, with the arrogant smile still painted on his face, "I'm all yours…"

"Right…" Cloud replied, taking in a deep breath before walking briskly over to the examination table. She gently pushed on his shoulders and he lied back upon the cool metal table. She looked him over for a few short moments, but yet wouldn't lay a hand on him. He didn't say anything. He simply watched in amusement as she awkwardly tried to place her hands on his bare chest, "Stop looking at me like that!" Cloud demanded, quickly pulling her hands away from him.

"Like what?" Ace replied with a slight laugh, knowing full well what look she was talking about.

"Like…" Cloud began nervously, "_that_!" She shouted, gesturing to his face.

"If it would make you a little more _comfortable_," He replied haughtily, "I could look away…" But they both knew that Cloud didn't want that. Although she wouldn't admit it out loud, she had always thought of him as handsome, even when he was half-dead. And though _he_ would never admit it, he thought of her as beautiful (although most of the straight men of the squadron did also).

"You don't…" Cloud began softly, as Ace sat upright, facing her, "…don't have t-to…" She continued quietly as the pair slowly began to lean into one another.

"Good," Ace replied in a whisper as their faces were now only a few inches apart, "Because I didn't want to." He then came the rest of the way, pressing his lips against hers. They both closed their eyes and she felt his mouth open, so she did the same. She tasked sweet, like peppermint leaves and honey. He, on the other hand, tasted bitter, like clear liquor and black coffee. But from the looks of things, they both seemed to enjoy the tastes of one another. Needless to say, there were sparks. No, not sparks. Fireworks would be a more appropriate analogy.

"I'm sorry," Cloud cried, pushing him gently away from her, "It's…It's just not right…I'll go get Doctor Constantine!" She shouted, rushing out of the room, and leaving Ace and his now bruised pride alone in the infirmary.

* * *

Meanwhile, on terra Atmosia, Advent stood alongside Aerrow in an all too familiar chamber. There were several old men staring down at them, and Aerrow couldn't help but feel a little bit nostalgic (for after all, this was about how his story started in the first place). This was the Sky Knight council of course. They stared down disapprovingly at both Advent and Aerrow, but sat back patiently to hear what the two had to say.

"Men of the Sky Knight Council," Advent began airily, taking a step towards the podium, "If you would just allow us to issue the proclamation on this terra…"

"I've heard enough Advent!" The crotchety head of the council croaked, turning his face away from Advent. She turned her head away from the councilman as well. Seeing as how he was being impertinent enough not to face her, she figured she would pay him the same disrespect, "You are not to drag any of our able bodied Sky Knights into a war that has nothing to do with us!"

"Nothing to do with you!" Aerrow shouted indignantly, "How dare you! Terra Merb was practically wiped off of the face of Atmos, and you say that this war _doesn't pertain to you_!" He shouted, thoroughly disgusted by the council's cowardice.

"Aerrow calm yourself," Advent commanded sternly as she lifted her hand into the air, "If the council won't allow us to issue our call to arms…then so be it. But understand this men of the council…if you deny us of any reinforcements, the Twilight Knights will not come to the aid of this terra when Cypress unleashes whatever lies behind the gates of the citadel…which might I add is draining the life from this terra like a parasite-"

"Fine!" The head councilman interrupted. A smile made its way across Advent's face as he ceased her though. She knew that she had won, "What are your demands?"

"The Twilight Knights would like to issue a call to arms," Aerrow explained, taking a step towards the councilmen, "Not to only just Sky Knights and their squadrons, but to all able bodied warriors, mages, and pilots."

"This would also mean to lift the restriction of Symbologists and Runeologists," Advent and continued, "And allow them to leave Terra Wyndia."

"Unacceptable!" The old man shouted, turning his face from the group once again. Advent crossed her arms with frustration as she let the old man continue, "Doing so would run the risk letting that abomination you call a science slip its way out into the rest of Atmos! It's bad enough that we allowed you to take the girl, but letting all of the scientists of wyndia to fight!"

"Yes," Advent nodded, "That's exactly what we're asking for…And if I recall, the council still owes me several, several, _several _favors…If you do this, allow us to issue the call to arms, and lift the restriction on the symbologists, only _temporarily_, I will never ask the council for another favor until the war against Cypress is over."

"And how long might that be?" The head councilman asked angrily, crossing his arms.

"Never for sure," Aerrow replied, "If you don't let us issue the proclamation. Without reinforcements, we will fail for sure."

"Alright," The head councilman sighed after several long moments of silence, "The council and I will allow the call to arms."

And with this Advent and Aerrow thanked the council and made their way out of the council building. There was a platinum and pearl skimmer sitting beside a newly polished and refurbished red and blue skimmer. Both Aerrow and Advent climbed on to their respective vehicles as Advent pulled her communicator from the inside of her robes. Aerrow watched her type something into the device, then closed it.

"Just giving the _go ahead_ to our fellow knights," Advent stated, looking up towards Aerrow, "They'll start issuing the proclamations as we speak. I suggest we should head to the square and do the same."

"Do you really think we're going to need all those reinforcements?" Aerrow asked, as the two sat upon their motionless skimmers.

"No," Advent replied flatly, "I don't…"

"Then why go through all the trouble?" Aerrow inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Numbers can't hurt…" Advent replied calmly, "I don't necessarily _need _any one right now…but whether I _want _them or not is up to me."

"I don't quiet get it," Aerrow stated, looking slightly confused, "I thought the purpose of our call to arms was because we needed fighters?"

"No," Advent replied, "Our squadron alone can go toe to toe with my sister easily…So why get the whole of Atmos involved you might ask? Simple, I want them all to see what it is that us Twilight Knights are protecting them from…because what the council doesn't realize is that it is their war too. I am tired of defending the Atmos and receiving nothing in return. Perhaps, Atmos will show us proper gratitude if they suffer a few casualties of their own."

"A bit cruel," Aerrow replied earnestly, raising an eyebrow, "Don't you think so?"

"You may think so," Advent replied with a slight shrug, "But then again, at this point I'm not really sure how much your opinion matters…"

"Excuse me?" Aerrow inquired, giving Advent a dark look, "My opinions _don't matter_ to you? What's that supposed to mean? I thought I was your prot-"

"It's not that you aren't valuable to the Twilight Knights Aerrow," Advent interrupted, honestly as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "It's just that you of all people should know by now who is the one _truly _calling the shots…you know that Cyrus, Nova, and all of the other lieutenants are merely figure heads…we've been over this Aerrow. If I didn't know for a fact that having a political ranking system within the knights, the driving inspiration for all of my fighters to be the best would die out if everyone was at an initiate rank."

"It just seems so wrong to me," Aerrow replied, looking down towards the ground, "It just doesn't come off as an efficient way to run a squadron."

"Of course it doesn't come off that way…" Advent replied, "In reality, our system isn't fair…after all, I take everything you have to offer into account before my right hand woman, or my own daughter for that matter…But, then again, life isn't fair. So why should I adjust a successful system just because of fairness."

"You're right," Aerrow nodded, with a meek smile across his face.

"Of course I am," Advent replied softly, with a smile, as she gently lifted Aerrow's chin as so she could look him in the eye, "Now…not a word of what we've spoken to the others…understood?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Aerrow replied blankly, with a shrug.

"Very good," Advent replied with a confident smile as she looked over her protégé, "I think you'll be a fine leader of the Twilight Knights when the time comes…"

* * *

Meanwhile, across the Atmos, the rest of the Twilight Knights scrambled about the various terras, placing posters of recruitment on every available inch of wall on each building they could find. They split up into groups of two, as so the squadron could cover ground and issue the call much quicker.

Starling and the androgynous Aida found themselves on the tropical terras of Dol Donnis. The collection of island terras actually floated a few miles above the oceans of Tropica. Aida knew this place fairly well, after all Dol Donnis had previously been called _the Caylo isles _for centuries. His and the Dark Ace's father owned all seven of these islands, along with the seven private squadrons that he had at his beckon call.

"Are you alright Aida?" Starling asked, as she and Aida looked down with sad eyes at the islands below. He clung to Starling's waist as the pair glided through the soft warm air. The smell of summer salt and clean ocean water flooded their senses, along with the sounds of the crashing waves and gulls calling. This place was so beautiful, Starling couldn't quite comprehend why the sight of it seemingly depressed Aida.

"I just have some bad memories of this place," Aida replied quietly, "I don't understand why I had to come here. Advent could have sent my brother here just as easily."

"I'm sure she has her reasons," Starling replied reassuringly as her skimmer touched down on to the grassy surface of the largest isle. From a distance, they could see a collection of red roofs, and towering white buildings. Starling said nothing as she turned her skimmer in the direction of the settlement. The look on Aida's face was indication enough that this was the place, "So as long as we're doing this together, would you mind telling me why you have such a fear of this place?"

"If it means that much to you," Aida shouted over the roar of Starling's skimmer and the sound of the winds whipping through their ears, "It has to do with my father, Anteres Caylo…"

"I thought that was your brother's real name?" Starling asked, turning her head for only a brief moment to look at Aida. He then shook his head at her.

"My brother's real name is Anteres Caylo…the sixth," Aida explained, "My father is Anteres Caylo, the fifth. Anyway, Ace was born first, so he got the _privilege _of having our family name. My dad told me a few years back that he was glad that I wasn't given the name, because I would be a disgrace to it…"

"Aida," Starling replied, as the skimmer halted to a stop once they reached the outskirts of the settlement, "That's not true…and you know it's not true. You're one of the greatest carrier pilots and engineers who ever lived! Advent herself can vouch for that."

"Thanks Starling," Aida replied with a slight smile, "But it still doesn't make what he said go away…Ace was always my dad's favorite anyway…He's a successful pilot and fighter, and when he became a fleet commander in the Cyclonian army, my dad treated him like a god…"

"What about you?" Starling inquired, looking into his face, knowing that there was much more to the story.

"He scorned me for being an advocate for peace during that time," Aida replied as he and Starling began placing the proclamation posters upon every wall they could find, "He told me I should drop the act and pick up a sword…make myself useful…" He continued, not making eye contact with Starling.

"I imagine he didn't take it too well when you came out," Starling added, awaiting a response. Aida stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her with a weak smile on his face.

"That was the day I was banned from the Caylo estate," Aida explained, pointing towards the large oriental manor that could be seen towering over the settlement, "He said I could stay on the isles…ehem…" Aida continued, clearing his throat and beginning to impersonate his father, "_No faggot is going to be staying in this household, besmirching the Caylo name_!"

"That's horrible," Starling stated, placing a hand on Aida's shoulder.

"It gets worse," Aida replied, "I never needed anything from my family. Especially not emotional support. But the day I was kicked out, I turned to my mom…hoping that she could have reasoned with my dad…the two of us were close. Instead, she just stood there…and let my dad throw me on the streets. Ace was the only one who advocated for me."

"Really?" Starling inquired, sounding surprised. That didn't seem like that was something in the Dark Ace's nature to do.

"Yeah," Aida replied, with a slight smile on his face, "The two of us were oddly close…seeing as how he's a lot like our dad…But after I left, we grew apart…especially after he became one of Cyclonis' commanders."

"Becoming a Cyclonian had that effect on people," Starling replied quietly, "I'm so sorry that you had to go through with that Aida."

"I'm not," Aida replied, turning to look at her, with a smile on his face, "I'm glad it happened…because if it hadn't, I'd still be here and miserable. Probably doing some mundane job like repairing skimmers, and forcibly married to a woman who I'd most likely hate…The day I jumped on that skimmer and left the isles was the same day I met Nova. And I've been a Twilight Knight ever since." It was quiet between the two for a long time as the continued to hang the proclamations across the town.

"I guess I'm glad it happened too," Starling then added, looking towards Aida, "The squadron wouldn't be the same if you weren't out pilot."

"Really?" Aida asked, "You think so."

"Absolutely!" Starling replied, smiling at him, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Okay," Aida replied, placing his stack of proclamation posters on to the ground beside his feet, and extending his arms out towards her, "Come here…I have to hug you…" Starling let out a slight laugh, and so did Aida as they wrapped their arms around one another. They let each other go after a few seconds and Aida gently and jokingly punched Starling in the arm. She then began to laugh as the two continued to hang the posters throughout the city. She hadn't felt this connected to someone in a long time, that is, ever since she had lost her squadron, and in truth Starling deeply missed it.

"We'd better head to the square," Aida then stated, noting what time it was, "We're going to have to announce the call to arms to the public soon."

"Right," Starling nodded as the two continued down the street.

* * *

At the same time, across the Atmos, Cyclonis and Finn were standing amidst the busy encampments under the blistering sun on Terra Saharr. Cyclonis was holding a large black parasol, protecting her from the harsh heat, while Finn stood out, baking.

"You're welcome to catch some shade if you'd like," Cyclonis laughed, turning around to look at Finn, who was pulling on his collar and sweating up a storm.

"I'm good," He panted, trying to be a stereotypical man and appear tougher than he actually is.

"If you're afraid of looking girly," Cyclonis replied, "There's really no shame in it…especially considering your risk for heat stroke."

"I'm not afraid of looking girly," Finn snapped indignantly, crossing his arms.

"Fine," She laughed, pulling a strand of hair from her face, "Have it your way then." He rolled his eyes as he stepped under the parasol, keeping his head low as he walked.

"I feel ridiculous," Finn grumbled, much like a small child usually does. Cyclonis said nothing. She merely let out a small laugh as she and Finn stepped on to a platform, situated in the center of the Saharr encampment.

"You ready?" Cyclonis then asked, turning towards him as they pulled out their copy of the Call to Arms proclamation and turned to an ever growing crowd of people, walking towards them out of curiosity.

"I should probably let you know," Finn quivered, looking down at all of the people who now surrounded the platform, "Public speaking isn't my forte…"

"I've got that covered," Cyclonis replied casually as she gave him a smile and turned to the crowd.

"Sky Knights and Pilots of Sahaar!" She then shouted, once they captured the crowd's full attention, "We are here to formally issue a Call to Arms against the Far-Side forces of Cypress and her Army! You have been hereby ordered by the Twilight Knights and the Sky Knight Council to report to Terra Atmosia in no less than one week for your briefing and training! This is non-negotiable! Any objections can be taken up with either the council, or Master Advent of the Twilight Knights!"

This proclamation was read by teams of two from the Twilight Knights in the Terras all over Atmos. Nova and Junko issued the call on Terra Wallop, while Sora and Ravess gave the address on Terra Wyndia. Cyrus accompanied Cloud to read the proclamation to the Druids on Terra Phusis, and Leto and Snipe read the call to the Trolls of Terra Liang'Ge. The Dark Ace and Jynx gave the announcement on Terra Blizzaris, and Stork was escorted by Nikolai to give the address to Terra Aquanos. And many other teams issued the Call to Arms to many other Terras, however, once Advent and Aerrow were finished with Terra Atmosia, they were faced with the hardest of recruitment.

"We already have the Bogaton scientists as our allies!" Aerrow shouted over the roar of the engines as he and Advent landed upon the dry grounds of the terra, "So why are we here?"

"I'm not here for the Bogaton Scientists!" Advent shouted as she and Aerrow pushed their way through the dried brush of the landscape, "I've got my eyes on a few other people."

"You're not talking about the Raptors are you?" Aerrow asked, with some slight concern in his voice, "Don't you think that's a bad idea?"

"Oh, you haven't heard!" Advent shouted, laughing as she did so, "Everything I do starts out as a bad idea!"

_So you're interested in recruiting the Raptors of Bogaton are you sister?_ Cypress thought darkly to herself as she watched Advent and Aerrow head towards their destination within the glassy surface of her very own Scrying pool within the Obsidian Sanctum. She began to laugh darkly as she crossed her arms, _Little do you know…I've already beaten you to the punch…_

[Author's Note]: Yeah sorry this chapter was soooo long guys, and sorry it took me so long to update (midterms plus work plus taxes (yeah because I'm old enough for that shizz now)…it's just all been so great!) but it twas all necessary :D Anyway, I think there's a lot to be said about what the feck is going on in this story :O anyway, There are a lot of symbols in this story, that you may or may not be recognizing (at a literary standpoint anyway) For example: Aerrow and Advent's relationship, which we learn more about in this chapter, is a representation/mirror of two character's relationship in the original 'Storm Hawks' series. Still don't know what I'm talking about? It's really not that hard to figure out. But anyway, I just wanted people to start looking at it as more than just a regular fanfic, and start seeing the 'bigger picture' in the text.

P.S. My object was not to make Advent look like a bitch in this chapter. why she does some of the things she does, won't be immediately apparent but they'll make sense later.


	16. Chapter 15: The Atmosia Sewers

Chapter XV.

The Atmosia Sewers

"Advent," Piper inquired, walking close behind her as She and her eight fellow 'unique' Knights followed Advent through the streets of Terra Atmosia, "I'm sorry for asking, but shouldn't the rest of us be on Terra Anu with the rest of the new inductees to the Twilight Knights?"

"Pff!" Finn scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Why would we need to be on that dust ball of a terra! The nine of us a rolling in awesomeness already!"

"Damn skippy we are!" Sora cheered, jumping off of the ground slightly.

"Hey!" Ace snapped, looking down at her, "…that type of language is unacceptable for a girl your age!"

"Yes sir…" Sora squeaked quietly, looking up at Ace as though she was afraid he would cut her tongue out. He then rolled his eyes and laughed slightly, as he quickly tussled her magenta hair, "Hey!" She snapped playfully as she noted he knocked one of her pink pigtails loose. She undid her hair, and quickly gathered it back together as she wrapped the elastic band repeatedly around her hair. Once she did so, she then turned to Ace and pointed to her eyes, and then to him, as though saying: I'm watching you! He let out a slight laugh as though replying: Oooh…I'm so scared…

"Technically Piper is right," Cyclonis then interjected, sounding all knowing (just like her mother). Finn then rolled his eyes. Ever since Cyclonis became more comfortable around the rest of the group, she had a tendency to let her 'all knowingness' be a predominate part of her personality, "We haven't really received or completed any formal training, so we really can't call ourselves Twilight Knights."

"Thankfully you won't need to," Advent stated, staring straight forward as they walked through the snow covered streets of the terra, "You'll be completing all of the training you'll need to today…"

"Well that's good to hear!" Junko sighed, looking up at the dreary gray skies, "Because I don't know how much more of this…this…"

"Complete and utter gloom…" Stork interrupted direly, staring up into the sky as well.

"Yeah," Junko nodded, "I don't know how much more of it I can bear."

"Some sunshine would be nice…" Cloud sighed, looking towards the cold gray clouds, retching out layers upon layers of snow above every terra conquered by Cypress.

"At this rate," Stork added as the snow began to fall a little bit harder, "She might not even need to cull all of the terras…she could just freeze us all to death…though a death that is only mildly painful may be too…_merciful_. "

"But we'll stop her before that happens right?" Sora gulped, drifting closer and closer to Aerrow as she walked.

"Who knows," Stork replied casually and with a slight shrug. Sora then let out a small cry as she then clung to Aerrow. He looked down and put his hand on her small shoulder, as though doing so would make everything okay. However, in a child's world, sometimes that's all it takes to make everything okay.

"So where exactly are we going?" Piper inquired, looking before the large iron hatch, slightly elevated from the ground, that Advent had lead them to. Advent then pulled a pale indigo colored crystal from her robes and pointed it at the iron hatch. The heavy iron slid away from the opening it protected with ease, and Advent thrust the crystal back within her robes.

"We're here…" Advent stated quietly before leaping down through the dark hole before them. The nine teens looked to one another curiously. It appeared as though Advent was taking them into the sewers of Atmosia, but they shrugged and jumped down through the manhole and into the darkness. With a splash and a thud, the nine teens landed upon the damp, cold, and somewhat slimy stone below. As each of them surveyed the area, and noted the long and winding catacombs before them, the realized, they were in a sewer.

"Any particular reason we're here?" Ace asked indignantly, covering his mouth and nose with his hand.

"Criminals," Advent stated flatly, turning to the group, "Aerrow knows what I'm speaking of…don't you?" She inquired deviously as she turned to Aerrow.

"Right," Aerrow nodded, "We're here to talk to the Raptors of Terra Bogaton."

"Why would we want to do that," Cyclonis sighed, rolling her eyes, "Of all people, we don't need the help of those useless reptiles…"

"Maybe so," Advent replied, nodding her head slightly, "But I would rather have them on the side of the Twilight Knights, rather than in the hands of Cypress and her deadly Necronomica…Jevanni* only knows what _enhancements _she would bestow upon them…"

"I get it," Junko nodded, as though reaching some delayed epiphany, "It's not that we need them, it's just that we need Cypress to not have them!"

"Something like that," Advent replied with a slight smile, "Now if you'll all be so kind as to follow me…" Advent gestured as she guided them deep into the dark winding tunnels of the Atmosian sewers. It was nearly pitch black, but thankfully Advent's pale pigmentation made her stick out better in the darkness, and therefore made her easy to follow behind. However, Piper and Cyclonis both reached for their crystals quietly, feeling as though walking about in the darkness was pointless, "Put them back…" Advent commanded quietly without turning once to see what it was the two girls were doing in the first place, "There's a reason I'm walking about in the shadows like this…please respect my wishes girls…" The two looked back and fourth at one another and then to Advent. Piper looked to Cyclonis and mouthed the words: How does she do that? Cyclonis replied with a lazy shrug, and they continued to walk.

"Do you hear that?" Finn whispered as they saw an orange glow flicker and flash towards the end of the tunnel. It was true that there was much angry and slurred shouting, as the sounds of things being broken at random echoed through the catacombs.

"From the sounds of it…" Advent whispered, "That is what we're looking for…" They crept down towards the end of the tunnel, trying to stay as quiet as possible (which proved to be quite difficult seeing as how an inch of water coated the ground). The group peered around the corner, and noted that they were actually standing in a drainage pipe which ran off into a large cavernous chamber, some fifteen feet above the ground of the room below. The chamber itself was massive with about five feet of dark water covering the floor of the room. Suspended above the water was a crude wooden plank walkway with several dozen poorly constructed complexes. Over all, this was an underground slum, crawling with some of the shadiest of characters. In the center of the settlement was a large stone brazier, ablaze with a bonfire nearly six feet high.

"Look!" Finn whispered, pointing towards the center of the encampment, "it's Captain Scabulous!" Indeed, it was. He was pacing back and fourth beside the bonfire as several dozen other Murk Raiders sat around awaiting for someone to say something important. However, there were hundreds of other unfamiliar faces sitting amongst them including Merbs, Rabkin, Humans, and even a few Blizzarians.

"But what are they all doing down here?" Piper whispered.

"They're seeking refuge," Aerrow replied in a hushed tone, "From either the sky knights, or Cypress…"

"It would be wise of us to have an alliance with the Murk Raiders," Advent then added, gesturing the nine of them to follow her through the opening of the tunnel, "Of course…in situations like these, things do have a tendency to get out of hand quickly…so keep your guard up!" They leapt down from the ledge and on to the rickety platform suspended above the murky water. Almost immediately, the citizens of the underground encampment turned to face the group with weapons in hand.

"We haven't come to fight!" Advent stated calmly, but projecting her voice throughout the cavern, "Rather to negotiate."

"I'm through negotiating with the likes of you!" Captain Scabulous exclaimed, pointing his sword towards Advent, "Not after what you did to my-" But he then took a second look at the pale specter, without even giving a second glance to the nine figures standing behind her. This was not the same woman that he had dealt with before. This woman had a different spirit and even he could sense that. He then sheathed his weapon and took a step towards Advent, "Who are you?" He commanded, crossing his arms as he stood a few inches from Advent.

"I am the proud leader of the Twilight Knights," Advent stated with a slight bow, "The woman of whom you were referring to must have been my sister…"

"Yes," Scabulous replied casually, "Her eyes were red…"

"Not our most predominate family trait, I can assure you," Advent replied with a slight laugh and a confident smile, "Neither is my sister's _stifling _personality…regardless, would you mind calling off your raiders? They are putting my squadron on edge." Scabulous turned to his men accordingly, and without a word they sheathed their weapons, but keeping a watchful eye on Advent and the nine teens behind her.

"Ssscabulous hasss no power over me," They then heard a voice hiss from within the murmuring crown. Even those who were not Murk Raiders seemed to follow the orders of the captain without question. Although they knew the voice of this particular being. The crowd parted and they watched as the figure approached them. The light from the bonfire then hit his face and revealed Repton standing before them, "And why sssshould I trusssst you! Your filthy sssissster murdered my raptorsss! Not to mention you are in an allianccce with Cyclonisss!"

"Yeah that's right!" The crowd began to shout, "She's a murderer too! I lost my family to the talons you monsters!"

"And tell me what makes you lot any better?" Advent inquired calmly, addressing the harem of criminals. They then grew quite silent, speaking in only a few hushed whispers, "Are you not all murderers, rapists, heretics, thieves, and liars yourselves?" The chamber grew silent as Advent addressed them with all of the grace and patience of a lady.

"Then what do you want with the likes of us?" Scabulous hissed, looking Advent in the eyes.

"Yes what do you want with them!" The voice of a woman hissed within the dark winding tunnels of the sewers. The crowd turned around to see two shadowy figures standing in the opening of another long and wide drainage pipe at the opposite side of the chamber.

"Where do I know that voice?" The Dark Ace whispered quietly. It was then that the realization hit him, "Run…" He then stated clearly and quietly.

"What?" Aerrow asked, turning to him.

"RUN!" He shouted, just as soon as a bright red light flashed within the drainage pipe. The opposite end of the encampment then exploded in the same bright flash of reddish light. The rickety plank walkways collapsed and plunged into the dark waters below along with a few of the poorly constructed shacks.

"Follow me!" Advent shouted as the crowds began to scream and scramble throughout the underground slum. They began to flood through the nearest drainage pipe as Advent and the others quickly lead the society of criminals out into the surface.

"What the hell are you doing!" Anaximenes shouted as he and Skyler approached the bonfire towards the center of the slum, "There was no purpose behind that!"

"I don't care!" Skyler hissed, moving towards the quickly diminishing crowd, "I saw an opportunity to strike at that Caylo bastard and I took it!"

"Cypress said NO!" Anaximenes shouted, grasping Skyler's wrist.

"I don't CARE!" Skyler shouted, throwing her hand across his face and knocking him to the ground, "Cypress said I could have that man's head on a spike weeks ago! I'm not waiting any longer!"

"Cloud give me your hand!" Piper shouted as she noted that Cloud was still standing down upon the walkways of the slum, guiding people to the exit. But Cloud turned and noticed that Skyler was slowly encroaching upon the crowd, her eyes on Ace who had yet to make his way towards the tunnels.

"I'll catch you in a minuet," Cloud shouted, turning away from Piper and towards Skyler, "Just go on without me!"

"This ends…" Skyler hissed as a bright red electricity began to pulsate around her arms violently as she pushed through the panicking crowd, "…now!"

"Hey!" Skyler heard as she felt a cold wet sting strike her across the back of the head. She turned angrily to see a thin stream of water gracefully floating around Cloud's person as the druid looked towards her with anger and disdain, "You leave him alone!" She exclaimed, as the water slashed towards Skyler again, leaving large red marks across her arms as she backed away from Cloud and her water whips.

"Never!" Skyler growled, throwing her hands upon the ground below her as the same red electricity pulsed from her hands, through the wooden catwalk of the makeshift slum. The walkway then began to heave and splinter as the power of Skyler rushed through the weak wood. Cloud was thrown into the air by the slight explosion, where she immediately reverted to her owl form. She spread her silvery wings just before plummeting into the water of the sewer below. She pulled up and flew into the air, landing safely upon the roof of one of the makeshift shacks.

However, Skyler threw her hands on to the walls of the building, sending her pulse of runeologic energy through the walls. The building then did the same as the catwalk in which it began to sunder and warp, so Cloud pushed off of the roof and flew down on to what available land was left, and changed forms. In a puff of grayish smoke, a sleek white wolf was now where the gray great horned owl had been.

"Your animal forms won't protect you Druid!" Skyler growled, as she radiated with the reddish static.

Meanwhile, the remaining Twilight Knights continued to pull what people remained up into the drainage pipe and guided them to follow the others out of the catacombs.

"Go! Hurry!" Aerrow commanded, gesturing people in Advent's direction as the underground slum began to collapse.

"What about the druid!" Captain Scabulous inquired, shouting over the chaos of the crowds as they rushed through the pipes.

"I've got her!" The Dark Ace shouted before jumping down to rush to Cloud's aid. But before he could even make it to the entrance of the pipe, he felt a hand grasp the collar of his uniform.

"Don't even think about it!" Cyclonis snapped, "That crazy witch is after you!"

"Besides I think Cloud's got this one…" Finn added, watching the fight unfold before him.

Cloud had her firm canine jaws latched on to Skyler's wrist, biting down with every ounce of force she had. She clamped down even harder, and swore that she heard a cracking noise even above all of the chaos of the moment. Skyler let out a scream as she threw Cloud's canine body across the way, causing her to collide with the wall of a nearby construct. Skyler held on tightly to her arm, which was now bleeding profusely, and was quite mangled. It was then when Ace eluded the watchful eye of Cyclonis and leapt into the fray. Skyler was turned towards Cloud, walking towards her with spite in her eyes. However, she was knocked to the ground by Ace from behind. She went skidding to the ground, and looked up at him hatefully.

"Without that other arm of yours you can't perform any runeology!" Dark Ace shouted, plunging his double bladed sword into the catwalk.

"That's advantage Cloud!" Cloud then chirped as she leapt on to Skyler's back, sinking her sharp teeth into Skyler's shoulder.

"Get off of me you filth!" Skyler hissed as the wave of energy from Ace's blade caused the catwalk to break apart and sunder. Skyler ignored the falling catwalk, and seized one of Cloud's front leg with her good arm. She pulled the dog off of her back, and threw Cloud against the shaking ground with all of her strength. She then seized the dog's same front leg and snapped it with all of her muster. Cloud let out a distressed howl as she threw the body of the wolf into the filthy water, "As for you…" Skyler hissed, bloodied and bruised as she headed towards Ace. But at that moment the cavern had begun to shake, as large pieces of brick and rock began to fall from the top of the chamber and on to what was left of the encampment.

"The cavern is collapsing!" Aerrow shouted, pushing the last of the people through the passage way, "Dark Ace! Hurry!"

"Next time…" Skyler growled as Anaximenes nervously seized her arm and the pair disappeared in a flash of greenish light.

"What about Cloud!" He shouted, looking from Aerrow to the water where she had fallen.

"There's no time!" Cyclonis exclaimed, holding her hand out to Ace. He looked away from her and impulsively dove into the water, "NO!" Cyclonis shouted, moving to jump in after him.

"Cyclonis you can't!" Finn exclaimed, holding her back.

Once Ace was under the water he kept his eyes peeled for Cloud, although the water was murky and putrid with the most foul smell. He resurfaced after a few moments and took in another breath, but before he could dive back down he felt something large and heavy strike him on the back of the head. It was falling debris. And as he began to loose his consciousness, and as he began to slip down into the muck of the Atmosian sewers, he saw something swim up towards him from the side, carrying something white. Then, everything went black.

* * *

"Ace…" He heard softly in his ears, "Ace wake up…" His eyes then began to open as he noted he was looking up at the familiar white ceiling of the medical ward, and a few other faces staring down at him.

"He's awake!" Sora then exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly, "I'm so happy you're not dead!"

"W-where's Cloud…" Ace began, propping himself up to look around the room, "Is she alright!"

"You should worry more about yourself!" Cloud snapped, stepping through the other six teens (at this time, Stork was on the flight deck, piloting the Tempest II) and towards Ace, "You could have killed yourself!"

"Yeah…" He replied quietly looking down at his arms. Other than a few cuts and bruises, he was alright, and by the looks of it, he hadn't been out for too long. But it was then he noted that Cloud's arm was in a sling, "What happened!" He exclaimed, leaping off of the examination table and placing his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm okay," Cloud growled, looking away from him, slightly embarrassed, "Skyler broke my arm…that's all. I should be fine in a few days. Druids are fast healers…"

"Did you just see what I saw?" Aerrow whispered discretely to Piper. She nodded, raising her eyebrow as she watched the pair closely.

"I saw it," Finn added, knowing exactly what they were talking about.

"Are you kidding me…" Cyclonis replied, rolling her eyes, "I've _seen _it for a while now…"

"But how did we get out of there?" Ace asked, looking around the room.

"That lizard guy saved you!" Sora explained, looking up at Ace, "He jumped into the water after you and Cloud and pulled you out of the sewer."

"Then where are they?" He asked, noting that not even Advent was in the room (which was probably for the best, seeing as how Advent was less than pleased with his decision to dive after Cloud).

"They're on a different carrier," Junko explained, "Advent took Repton, the Murk Raiders, and everybody else to Terra Anu with the other Sky Knights for training."

"Not that they really need it," Cyclonis added with a lazy shrug, "Anyway…the point is that we're all okay, but my mom did tell me this before she left with the new _recruits_…the real purpose of today was to show us that the nine of us aren't ready to face Cypress seeing as how we can barely fight her lackeys."

"Wait!" Finn exclaimed angrily, turning to Cyclonis, "Advent knew this was going to happen!"

"Why would she put us in danger like that!" Piper shouted.

"Because she's right," Aerrow stated, "We aren't ready to fight Cypress, and I can tell that the battle is coming soon…we need to be better prepared for next time! But for now, I think a good night's sleep would be best for all of us right now."

"Sounds good!" Finn yawned, stretching his arms above his head before leaving the room. They all filed out one by one until Cloud and Ace were the only two left in the room. She then looked to him after a few minuets of silence. She opened her mouth as though to say something, but was interrupted.

"I know what you're going to say," Ace began, looking gravely at her, "And I'm telling you, save it…"

"I was just going to tell you how grateful I am that you tried to save me," Cloud replied, her canine ears drooping down in correspondence with her emotions.

"Don't think you're special…" He replied indifferently, looking away from her.

"Am I not?" Cloud asked honestly, "Or are you just saying that because you're trying to keep up your reputation of being a jerk?" He said nothing. He merely let out a long sigh as he turned his head to look at Cloud. Neither of them looked very happy with one another. He looked down to the ground, and took a few steps towards her until they were only a few inches apart, however he still kept his eyes fixed on the ground, "What are you thinking?" She asked as he closed his eyes. Their foreheads touched together and the room was silent for a few moments.

"I want you out of my thoughts…" He replied quietly, "I want you out of my head…but you're like a toxic mold that just keeps growing no matter how hard I try to get rid of it…"

"Excuse me?" Cloud whispered, as he opened his eyes to look at her, even though he still looked stern and angry.

"You heard me," He replied quietly. He then pushed his mouth against hers. After all, he tasted and therefore he wanted more. His tongue explored the various spaces within her mouth and hers began to dance behind her lips for him, just as it had done the first time. Their faces infrequently pulled away from one another, but only for a few seconds at a time before pulling back towards one another. He then place his hands around her waist and lifted Cloud gently off of the ground as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He gently pushed her against the nearest wall as he buried his face within the soft crook of her neck.

"Stop…" She whispered, even though she really didn't want him to, "Please…"

"No…" He whispered, noting that she was doing nothing to stop him, "Why should I?" She said nothing. She merely leaned her head back and let him work her over.

"Because!" She shouted, pushing him away slightly, "We shouldn't do this…"

"Give me a reason why we shouldn't," He replied, peeling the shirt of his uniform slowly off of his body.

* * *

"Would either of you mind explaining what the hell just happened!" Meno growled, approaching Anaximenes and Skyler as they kneeled before her within Cypress' throne room.

"I told you my brother couldn't handle the responsibility on his own," Anaxagoras replied haughtily. Meno turned to him and shot him a nasty look.

"If I had my way," Meno then began, pacing back and fourth between the two, "I would have you both beheaded! However, Master Cypress is feeling rather benevolent today…so in other words…you'd better not screw things up next time!"

"If you don't mind me saying though," Anaximenes began sheepishly, looking up towards Meno, "I'm not sure how much good the Raptors would be to us…seeing as how there's only one Raptor left…"

"Did I ask for your opinion!" Meno growled, throwing the back of her hand across his pale face, "You speak when you're spoken to! And as for you…" Meno began, turning her attention to Skyler, "The Master wishes to speak with the likes of you in private!"

"What does she want!" Skyler hissed, daring to look Meno in the eyes. Meno said nothing, she merely snarled down at the woman and ordered the two nightcrawler sentries to escort the zealot to her master.

"You'll find out soon enough," Meno laughed as Skyler was dragged out of the chamber. Anaxagoras looked to his fellow lieutenant curiously and raised his eyebrow as his red haired younger brother handed him back his amulet. In truth, he had never seen Meno act so sinister before. As far as villains go, Meno was always fairly even tempered. It was then when he noted the green reliquary hanging loosely at her hips.

"What is that thing?" He asked quietly to himself, raising an eyebrow.

"What did you say!" Meno hissed, turning to glare at him.

"I said nothing," He replied as Meno turned away from him and stormed out of the chamber, slamming the great obsidian doors as she left.

"Has she gone completely metal!" Anaximenes inquired, touching the hot red mark which Meno had so kindly placed upon his face.

"I'm not sure," His older brother replied, pulling his white hair out of his face, "But I'm sure it has to do with that relic she has…"

[Author's Note (YAY!)]: Horray! Another installment! Yes I caved and added some slight smut (And some DA fanservice while I was at it!) :D Horray smut! Anyway I was going to add more to this chapter, but for length's sake I cut it down :/ Okay so spoiler alert: The next chapter is going to be all about the Twilight Knight training on the awesometastic Terra Anu! Just so you know, It's going to be kind of a lighter and more humorous chapter :P (hopefully) seeing as how there's going to be a whole ton of old Storm Hawks characters on the terra all mixed together in one big cluster f-k! Woohoo! SO keep your eyes peeled (not literalloy of course...that would be icky!) for the next chapter and do me a solid and REVIEW!


	17. Chapter 16: Amare, To Love

Chapter XVI.

Amare (To Love)

"Oh…" Jynx groaned as she pulled her long floppy grey ears out of her face, "This is going to be fun…" The rabkin jeered sarcastically as she looked over the faces of the many new additions to the Twilight Knights. It wasn't as though the Sky Knights of Atmos were under qualified, or that they lacked the capacity to keep up with the other Twilight knights. It was only that, but Jynx's standards, they looked a little _privileged_. It also didn't help their case when the first of the Sky Knights to step off of the carrier and on to the surface of the bleak desert Terra, Anu, was Harrier of the Rex guardians (a man in which Jynx took an instant dislike to).

You see, Jynx, along with all other Rabkin of Atmos, was raised on Terra Anu. This particular terra is so barren and dry with few oasis or refuge even, that the subterranean race of rodent-esque humanoids are the only beings who stand a chance living long-term on the terra. So naturally, it made perfect sense to send Jynx to escort and act as the representing sergeant for the Twilight Knights. She did have the most extensive knowledge of the terra. The Knights had been briefed and instructed to follow the orders of Nova and Jynx on Terra Atmosia prior to landing on Terra Anu, so thankfully that part of the job was done.

"It won't be so bad," Nova laughed, just before she and Jynx approached the Sky Knights, standing in neat ranks amidst the dry salt flat. There was nothing to be seen except for the seemingly endless plains of the hot white sand that coated the terra, "I just hope no one dies this time around."

"That," Jynx replied promptly, "Might be a blessing rather than a curse…"

"Attention!" Nova then shouted, turning towards the ranks of knights. They all stood up straight, and kept their eyes forward towards Nova as she moved to address them, "My name is Tarja Nova, second in command of the Twilight Knights and primary overseer of your basic training! The woman to my Right is Alvieda Jynx, your drill instructor for the next two weeks." She continued, taking a step back and letting Jynx take the floor, or rather, the sand.

"These next two weeks will be the worst of your life," Jynx laughed, pacing back and fourth in front of the knights, "Terra Anu is the hottest and most barren of all the planets. Only Rabkin can survive on this terra without any assistance. Anyone else would surely die in less than a week. Just to put things in perspective for you…" Jynx stated turning away from the knights and to a black and pine green skimmer parked behind her and Nova. Jynx climbed on to the back of it, and Nova did so also as she gripped Jynx's waist, "All of the Rabkin settlements on this terra are subterranean and can only be accessed by warp gates, which you need a special type of crystal to use anyway! The only city above ground is the city of Reve Anu. This city acts as the base camp for the Twilight Knights, the first portion of your training will be to find it while keeping your fellow trainees alive!" Jynx concluded, revving the engine of her skimmer, "best of luck to you all!" She called, just before taking off into the air.

"They can't be serious!" The sky knights shouted, looking down the desolate scenery as the blisteringly hot sun began to beat down on them, "They wouldn't let us _die _out here would they! They've gotta be kidding!"

"Are you sure that Advent said that this was acceptable?" Nova asked as she and Jynx soared higher into the air, "I mean they really could die out there…"

"So," Jynx replied cheerfully with a shrug, "And if you're wondering…Advent instructed me to instruct them however I saw fit…so what's a little survival exercise? Besides Reve Anu is only a mile north from where we landed…"

"Don't you suppose we should have instructed them to head North then?" Nova shouted over the roar of the engines and the wind whipping through her ears.

"…right…" Jynx replied, clearly not thinking things through, "That might have been helpful to them…wouldn't it?"

"Jynx…" Nova replied burying her face in her palm, "Even if those initiates happen to survive…you're fired…" Jynx ignored the comment as she rolled her eyes and flew onward through the hot mid-morning air. Nova turned her head around and watched as the collection of knights disappeared through the sand clouds that floated beneath them. It only took about a minuet or so for Jynx to direct her skimmer back down towards the ground. They landed about five hundred yards from a large sandstone wall with a towering wooden gate separating them from whatever it was that was behind it. Jynx continued to drive towards the wall, and watched as the gate slowly began to part. Jynx and Nova pulled through the gate, parked the skimmer and headed into the settlement. Reve Anu was simply a city constructed of various sized tents housing everything from merchants to families. The most notable was the largest standing directly in the center of the city. It stood over five stories and its fabric was a bright, blindingly white silk. Atop of the pavilion was a pale blue flag brandishing the seal of the Twilight Knights.

"We'll I hope the knights are doing alright," Nova began, holding her hand above her head to shield her eyes from the blinding sun.

"If you are _so _concerned," Jynx replied haughtily, crossing her arms and turning towards Nova, "Than _you _may go back and instruct them as _you _see fit!" It was no surprise that Jynx and Nova did not see eye to eye, but Nova was trying to respect the fact that Advent had placed Jynx in charge of basic training, "Besides, it isn't really basic training unless someone gets messed up."

"I suppose," Nova sighed, walking ahead of Jynx and towards the center of the city, "It's not fun unless you get a scar out of it…"

The pair headed towards the massive white tent, where Nova pulled back the pale curtain and headed into the silk structure. Both women were taken aback though to find that the structure was full of people. At the head of the crowd was Cyrus and Advent, awaiting for the pair to return.

"Had fun I hope," Cyrus inquired sarcastically, crossing her arms and looking down at Nova. She scoffed at Cyrus and turned away from her and towards Advent.

"Master," Nova began, looking around at the many questionable faces, "What are you doing here? I thought you had business back on Atmosia?"

"Well now we have business here," Cyrus snapped, "I'm taking over as Drill Sergeant for the newest additions to the Twilight Knights."

"WHAT!" Jynx shouted, her long ears standing straight up, "Advent that's bull shi-"

"You will be promoted to primary overseer Jynx," Advent interrupted calmly, "Cyrus is now under your command."

"…this pleases me," Jynx smiled deviously as she turned to Cyrus (who ignored her outright).

"Nova," Advent began, "You're going to need to return with me. To Lumina City…"

* * *

"Lumina city!" Cyclonis snapped, standing amidst the recreational deck of the Tempest II along with the remaining squadron, "But why? Don't we have more important things to do?"

"I have to agree," Aerrow interrupted, "Isn't Lumina City a bit too…"

"Fun," Finn blurted out, staring off into space as he leaned back against a large, plush, scarlet couch.

"Normally yes," Advent began, addressing the entire squadron, "Lumina City is indeed _frivolous_…but traveling there is necessary for our future endeavors."

"How so?" Starling inquired, looking to Advent and around the room at the faces of the other knights. A dull roar then began to emerge from the collection of Twilight Knights, all murmuring and whispering amidst one another.

"The Atmosian Peace Conference," Nova then stated, stepping forward to address the group, "There hasn't been one in decades, at least not since the original Storm Hawks were defeated. The purpose of having the conference is to officially set the alliances of our call to arms into place…and we would like as many of the Twilight Knights as possible to be present."

"First and foremost," Advent then began commanding everyone in the room to rise from the large scarlet couches scattered amidst the recreation deck, "The Atmosian Peace Conference…is a ball!"

"She said _it's in a hall_…right?" Junko whispered to Finn as they both rose to their feet. Finn then turned to Junko with wide eyes and shook his head. Junko then gulped and turned to look at Advent, she gestured for the men to push the furniture out of the way and against the walls of the room, to create a large space.

"Now I'd like everyone to find a partner!" Advent stated, walking into the center of the space. They all began to nervously scramble, searching for someone to partner with. This proved to be quite difficult seeing as how there were fifteen men and only twelve women (seeing as how Advent left Cyrus and Jynx on Terra Anu). Some couples paired up almost immediately, such as Nikolai and his wife Zelkovitz, and Aida instantly seized a blushing Innes by the wrist. Aerrow looked to Piper and with a smile and a slight giggle, she took him by the arm and pulled him into the center of the room.

"Do you need a partner?" Finn heard a soft and delicate voice lined with a slight French accent from behind him. He turned to note a lovely young lady of about thirteen (although it was made known to the others that she was actually sisteen) with pearl white hair and emerald eyes. This was Fontine, and although they had seen her in passing on board, she wasn't involved much.

"Uh sure," Finn replied nervously as Fontine took him by the arm. Cyclonis let out a slight sigh as she watched Fontine take Finn into the centre of the room, and she turned to see if she could perhaps find another partner.

"Leto!" Aru chimed from across the room, as she glided towards the bluish Troll, "Come! Dance with me!"

"Ya…" He replied nervously, his blue skin turning slightly red as Aru placed her pale thin arm around his and dragged him to the center of the room, "Right…dancin'…"

The pale twins Nevan and Neviaan took Starling and Ravess by the arms and directed them on to the dance floor, where Nova casually took hold of Snipe and pulled him into the crowd of couples as well. The Dark Ace casually looked towards Cloud and moved to ask her to dance, however, Fontine's brother Jean had already beaten him to the punch.

"Would ze lady care to dance?" Jean asked politely, bowing slightly before Cloud (and making an effort to remove the engine grease from his skin before the assembly). Cloud said nothing. She merely gave a slight smile and a bow back as she took his hand and the two walked to the center of the room.

"I see how it is," Nympherious scoffed, leaning next to the wall besides Stork, "No one wants to dance with the Merbs…"

"Of course not Nympherious…" Doctor Constantine laughed, walking up to the pair and taking Stork by the hand, "It's just that no one wants to dance with you!" She concluded as the pair laughed their way to the center of the room.

"If I was a woman I'd dance with you," Nympherious' pearly haired companion Victor stated flatly as he crossed his arms and leaned next to him.

"Oh shut it Victor!" Nympherious replied, rolling his eyes.

"Hey!" Sora then demanded with a smile, pulling on Ace's jacket. He looked down at her with some slight confusion, "Dance with me okay?"

"Uh okay…" He replied, not entirely sure what to say or how to respond as the precocious ten-year old dragged him into the center of the room with everyone else. Junko and Cyclonis turned to one another nervously and exchanged awkward looks.

"I don't think Advent has a partner," Cyclonis then stated, looking down at the ground.

"No that's alright," Junko then smiled, holding out his arm very politely and properly. She smiled back and took it as the pair walked to the center of the room.

"I trust that you all know how to waltz?" Advent began, gliding about the floor gracefully as the couples took the waists of their respective partners, "Because it is one of many dances that you must know before the conference!"

* * *

"So who do you think you're going to ask to the dance?" Finn asked, laying down in the grass of the Botanica, along with Aerrow and Junko the morning after.

"It's not a dance!" Aerrow snapped, his face a little red at the idea, "It's a peace conference…that also happens to be a ball…"

"Who cares what it's called," Finn replied, rolling his eyes, "Who are you going to ask?"

"Piper," Aerrow replied, as though Finn already should have know that information, "I asked her after Advent's lesson yesterday and she said she'd love to go with me…"

"Did anyone else think that one dance where everyone was in two big lines was hard," Junko then asked, breaking off from the subject, "I'm sure glad Cyclonis knew what she was doing, or else I would have been really lost!"

"Are you gonna ask her?" Finn asked, much like a curious child.

"Why do you want to know who everyone is asking?" Aerrow responded with a question of his own, "Who are you asking anyway?"

"Fontine," Finn replied confidently, "She's hot! And she asked _me _to dance with _her _yesterday! She totally wanted me to ask her."

"Isn't she kinda young," Junko then asked, rolling over in the grass to look at Finn, "I thought she was like…thirteen!"

"She's sixteen," Finn replied, rolling his eyes, "So she's only two years younger than me!"

"What do you suppose those boys are talking about over there?" Cloud asked, sitting in the grass at the opposite end of the Botanica with Cyclonis and Piper.

"Who they're taking to the conference no doubt," Piper replied, looking up at the artificial sky, "Aerrow's already asked me, and I said yes of course…has anyone asked either of you?"

"No," Cyclonis replied flatly, "Although I'm not that worried about it. I'm sure with the excess of men on this carrier someone is bound to ask me before tomorrow. What about you Cloud? Has anyone asked you?"

"Yes," Cloud replied, twirling her white hair in between her fingers, "Jean did yesterday…and I told him yes."

"Hmm…" Cyclonis replied, with a slight shrug.

"What," Cloud asked, turning to look at her. Cyclonis said nothing. She merely shrugged once again and shook her head, "Cyclonis!" Cloud demanded, "What!"

"I just could have sworn that you'd be going with the Dark Ace," Cyclonis replied casually as she began to make a chain of clovers. Piper then let out a sight chuckle, as though the thought of the two together was absurd.

"Is something funny Piper?" Cloud inquired honestly, turning to look at her.

"It's just that," Piper began, voicing her opinion as she handed Cyclonis a rather lovely clover which she took accordingly, "You two hardly seem like each other's type, and I honestly thought that the Dark Ace wasn't going."

"What do you mean by not his type?" Cloud asked, not necessarily offended, but not exactly happy either, "I mean…what do you suppose his type is?"

"Yes," Cyclonis then added, still not looking up from her clover chain, "I'm curious to know what you'd think his type is too…"

"Well," Piper began with a deep sigh, "Honestly…I think that Ravess is best suited for him…that or Cyrus."

"Really?" Cloud replied with slight disbelief.

"Ravess I don't see," Cyclonis replied, looking up at Piper and then towards Cloud, "But I can see Cyrus…their temper's are very alike…"

"I have to disagree," Cloud replied, looking down at the ground, picking at the grass, "But Cyclonis…why would you bring that up in the first place?"

"Cloud…" Cyclonis replied as though Cloud was playing dumb (which she was), "At the dance lessons yesterday he cut in during three of your dances with Jean and stared at you for the rest of them…I knew at your first week of being on this ship if the entire squadron wasn't half in love with you than I am no judge of beauty…"

"Or men," Cloud replied modestly, her cheeks slightly red.

"No," Cyclonis replied with a slight laugh, "They are far too easily judged!"

"They're not all bad," Cloud laughed, the two other girls then turned to her, as though awaiting for her to say something else, "Can you two keep a secret?"

"There are no guarantees," Cyclonis then replied.

"But we'll do our best," Piper replied, pushing Cyclonis' arm slightly. Cloud then pulled their heads in together and began to speak in a very hushed tone.

"Well…" Cloud whispered, "The other day, when the two of us were in the infirmary he…" She continued leaning in so close to the two that only the three of them could hear the conversation.

"You did NOT!" Piper shouted, loud enough for the whole Botanica to her.

"No! NO!" Cloud exclaimed, her face turning bright red, "We didn't! He just took his shirt off, and we kissed…that's all…"

"Are you sure?" Cyclonis laughed, tying her chain together at both ends, "It sounds to me like you're leaving out one _major _detail…"

"He wanted to," Cloud replied, looking down at the ground, "But I told him that it wasn't meant to be…"

* * *

Meanwhile, on the flight deck, talk of the ball was just as hot a topic. But two particular people were feeling rather left out of the chaos. Radaar and Sherekan were sitting back watching the humanoids asking one another if they would accompany them to the dance, feeling quite neglected.

"I say," Sherekan sighed, leaning his small furry head against Radaar's shoulder, "It's not fair…why do our humans get to run off and have all the fun, fighting against evil, running off to exotic lands, going to dances, and we're stick behind on the ship?"

"I used to go on adventures all the time with Aerrow," Radaar replied as his ears flopped down out of sadness, "But now he leaves me behind…because he's _worried_…I miss the old days!"

"I do to!" Sherekan replied, "Although it is quite fun to watch these humans rush about madly!"

"And without the Twilight Knights," Radaar pointed out, pointing to their collars, "We would never have been able to speak."

"Right you are my friend!" Sherekan nodded.

There were many other knights walking around the flight deck, with some tension hanging in the air, for they all knew they wanted to ask one another to the ball. Aida and Ace were seated around the large map of Atmos behind the ship's controls, while Starling and Innes were talking only a few feet away from them.

"I can't do it Starling!" Innes asked, looking from Starling to Aida, "I just can't do it! Yesterday was different because Aida ambushed me! But now-"

"Nonsense!" Starling snapped, gripping his shoulders, "You can do this! I'll cut you a deal! I'll…I'll…" Starling thought for a moment, looking around the room, but it was then she saw the Dark Ace and thought of something crazy, "I'll ask the Dark Ace first, if you ask Aida!"

"Fine!" Innes growled, pushing Starling in front of him, "But you have to ask him first! Okay!" Starling said nothing. She merely laughed as she walked towards the twins.

"Dark Ace!" Starling called as he looked up towards her, "I've something to ask you-"

"My answer is yes," Ace replied flatly, "I'll need to know what color your gown is and what time you'd like me to meet you out front of the hall…"

"Oh…" Starling replied with wide eyes, expecting him entirely to say no, "Alright…uhm, my gown is violet and I suppose eight just like everyone else…"

"Excellent," Ace nodded, "I can't wait."

"Alright…" Starling sighed, looking to all three men (Innes last), "I'll be seeing you then…" She concluded before leaving.

"You have something to ask me Innes?" Aida inquired, crossing his arms and looking at Innes expectantly. Innes' face turned red as he looked down at the floor.

"Yes," Innes replied, "Would you be my ah d-d-date to the Atm-m-mosian-"

"Of course," Aida replied with a smile as he rolled his eyes, "Jeeze! I thought you were never going to ask me!"

"YOU ARE SO INSUFFERABLE NOVA!" Snipe then shouted as he and Nova stormed into the flight deck (everyone turning to watch them as they did so).

"OH!" Nova shouted back, turning around to face him, "I'M INSUFFERABLE! WHY DON'T YOU JUST ASK CYRUS TO THE CONFERENCE BECAUSE I KNOW THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT!"

"Can we please NOT DO THIS!" Snipe replied pulling at the roots of his hair.

"What's with them?" Ace asked, pointing to the arguing pair, storming through the flight deck, not caring who saw.

"You mean you don't know?" Innes replied, looking to Ace, "Nova and Snipe have been an item since he joined the Twilight Knights."

"How many times do I have to tell you!" Snipe shouted, "I AM NOT ATTRACTED TO CYRUS! I HATE HER WHAT OTHER PROOF DO YOU NEED!"

"Uh…" Nova began, "Let's see maybe EVERYTIME you need a heliscooter repair…YOU CALL FOR HER SNIPE! WHAT MORE PROOF DO I NEED!"

"As you can see it's a relationship built on trust and commitment," Aida stated quietly, kicking his feet up on the tabletop map of Atmos.

"Can we discuss this elsewhere…" Snipe growled as he and Nova's faces were dangerously close to one another's. Nova glared at him for a long time, then pulled the collar of his uniform toward her as their faces collided and their lips pressed together for a long time.

"My god you're hot when you're angry!" He told Nova just before leaving the room.

"Likewise!" Nova replied, letting go of his collar and gently pushing him away.

"Wow…" Aida muttered under his breath, "You could just feel the awkward in that moment…"

"I trust everyone has found an escort for tomorrow?" Advent chimed as she strode gracefully onto the flight deck.

"Something like that," Ace replied under his breath with a slight laugh, as Aida let out a slight laugh behind him.

* * *

[Author's Note]: So first, yay! light and fluffy chapter! hurray! I decided to splice two chapters together. I had a whole twenty pages written out for the Twilight Knight basic training on Terra Anu, but it was a little mundane and monotonous, so I decided to fuse that chapter (chapter 16, was originally titled: Terra Anu) with this chapter 17 (which was entitled: Amare (To Love)). Not that anyone reads the AN, but I just thought I'd let you know :P ALSO! Not all of the 'couples' featured are going to actually happen in the future, their just for humor's sake (such as DA and Starling)


	18. Chapter 17: Waltz of the Damned

**[Message from Kingdom Come]: **First and foremost, the shift key on my laptop is having a spazz attack (like most of my technological items because apparently I'm not allowed to have nice properly functioning things…) anyway! Until I can get it repaired for 500 billion dollars which I don't have, some things might not be capitalized, just because my shift key won't let me (thankfully my computer does have the 'autocorrect' feature, but it doesn't do that all the time) so for all you grammar police out there, don't jump down my throat about capitalization! Second! There is a poll on my profile page and (even though it's just for kicks) I would like it if everyone reading would take a minuet or two to vote! Lastly, for the month of march, the Regiment of Twilight had 531 hits and 143 visitors! Yay! Now let's try and review people (seriously reviews are my only motivation for updating!)

P.S. I'm sorry but **this is a LOOOOOOONG frickin' chapter **o.o It's actually the longest to date (28 pages to be exact)(I.e this is a warning for all ya'll) so I wouldn't recommend reading it all at once! I was going to divide it in two, but I…I just didn't feel like doing that…

Chapter XVII

Waltz of the Damned

"I just can't choose!" Sora squeaked, rifling through the hundreds of youth sized dresses hanging on the racks in the swanky department store in the heart of Lumina City. After Advent's announcement, she realized that very few of her knights had formal clothes for such an occasion. So, Advent sent the entire squadron out into Lumina for the day for just such a reason. The women of the squadron however, found themselves here, at the largest and most renowned outfitter in Atmos. Sora pulled a rather frilly, glittery, and ruffled magenta dress off of the hangar and held it up to her body in the mirror and immediately began to imagine herself in it.

"A bit _pageant-ish_," Cyclonis laughed slightly, taking the gown from Sora, and placing it back on the hangar, "At least for the peace ball."

"What are you gonna wear?" Sora asked, her eyes sparkling at the thought of all the women of the squadron wearing princess-like gowns and all the men dressed like princes.

"Oh…" Cyclonis sighed, looking down at the plain, off the shoulder black gown in her arms. There were no embellishments, bells, whistles, or anything that set this dress apart from anyone else's, "Just…this…" Sora looked down at the dress and frowned.

"But it's boring…" Sora stated flatly (always known to be honest at exactly the right time), "And kinda ugly…"

"You're right," Cyclonis replied, laughing slightly, looking down at her safe, boring, and ugly dress. She casually put the gown back on a rack to which it didn't belong, "I guess now we're both without something to wear for tonight…" She sighed, scratching the back of her head.

"What about that one?" Sora smiled, as she pointed to something far across the display floor. She then began to skip in the direction towards it.

"Sora wait!" Cyclonis groaned, following after her, "You shouldn't run in stores!" Sora halted in front of a shiny plastic white mannequin, where Cyclonis caught up to her.

"You should buy that one," Sora stated, giving Cyclonis a smug look as she pointed to the gown on the mannequin, "You'd look rockin', and Finn would like it too!"

"It's beautiful," Cyclonis replied, looking over the beadwork, "But…wait…Sora, Nevan is my date…not Finn."

"I know!" Sora chirped with a smile as she skipped away from Cyclonis and headed back to the section that was best suited to her size. Cyclonis let out a slight chuckle as she looked over the gown for a moment. It was beautiful. The gown consisted of two pieces, the first was a black, strapless, formfitting silk underlay with a sweetheart neckline. The second, overtop was sheer and constructed of black silk which started at a mandarin collar at the neck and ended at a two foot train behind the gown. While also, roses of every shape and size where beaded on to the sheer silk, constructed of dazzling black crystals.

"Do I even want to know how much this is going to cost," Cyclonis whispered quietly to herself as she reached for the small white tag hanging off of the side.

"It's not like it matters," Nova smiled, leaning over her shoulder, and scaring her half out of her wits, "It's all on your mother's tab anyway."

"I don't think I need something quite this…" Cyclonis began, looking enviously at the gown.

"Beautiful," Nova interrupted, looking over the garment, "Just buy it my dear. You never know when there might be another peace conference. Make the best of it."

"You're right," Cyclonis replied with a nod and a slight smile, "Thanks Nova."

"Of course," Nova nodded, smiling back at her before heading off into the seemingly endless store.

"Excuse me," Cyclonis beckoned to a young woman nearby affixing a mannequin with a feathery green gown and hat to match, "But could you please assist me with something?"

"Of course miss!" The young employee chirped obligingly as she rushed over to assist Cyclonis. She unlaced the back of the gown and gently pulled it over the head of the mannequin, "Would you like to try it on miss?"

"Uhm…" Cyclonis replied, looking down at the gown for a moment, "Sure…" She replied, as the young employee guided her across the floor.

"Are you attending the big event tonight?" The young employee asked, turning around to look at Cyclonis as she lead her into the dressing rooms.

"The Conference?" Cyclonis asked, "Yes, I am. Why do you ask?"

"I'm sorry," The employee replied, a little embarrassed, "So many women have come in today to purchase gowns, I just assumed that you were attending. So you must be a sky knight right! How exciting!"

"Something like that," Cyclonis smirked, taking her Twilight Knight insignia from her pocket and showing it to the young employee.

"Thank you for your service ma'am!" She began bashfully, bowing her head slightly before Cyclonis (probably not recognizing who she was).

"Thank you," Cyclonis replied with a melancholic smile as the employee handed her the gown and she stepped into the dressing room.

"I just don't want to seem overbearing," She overheard Piper state from within her dressing room as Piper slid a lovely coral colored taffeta gown on over her body, "I mean, I want Aerrow to be wowed when he sees me…I do, but I don't want to come off too strong."

"That makes sense to me." Starling replied, looking at her new violet cocktail dress in the mirror in the dressing room next to Piper's, "My dress is too short…isn't it? It's not appropriate for a ball! I just knew it!"

"I think it's adorable!" Sora chirped, finding a somewhat rufflely, pale pink shantung dress (that was also appropriate for someone her age) to wear to the ball. She twirled back and fourth within her dressing room watching the skirt of her dress fan out as she did so in the full length mirror.

"I just can't believe you're going with the Dark Ace," Cloud stated (a little jealously) from the other dressing room next to Piper. Cloud was trying on a pristine white silk kimono with a sky blue trim that hung off the shoulder, "He asked you? Correct?"

"No," Starling sighed, taking off her violet cocktail dress, and moving to try on a gown, "I made a deal with Innes…he wouldn't ask Aida so I told that if I asked the Dark Ace he had to ask Aida. I asked, and he remarkably said yes."

"That's so odd," Cyclonis then stated from the dressing room next to Cloud, joining the conversation, attempting to lace up her dream gown, "Don't take this the wrong way Starling, but why would he say yes?"

"I take no offense to it," Starling replied, just as confused as she was, "I asked him with the intention of being told no! It came as such a shock to me that he agreed to it." It was then quiet for several long moments.

"Do you suppose we have time to have these altered?" Cloud asked, breaking the silence.

"No I don't think so," Piper sighed, looking at her lovely, but plain coral gown.

"Then I suppose I'll take it as is," Cloud sighed as she began to put her everyday clothing back on.

"Me too!" Sora chirped, walking out of the dressing room with her gown still on.

"Sora!" Piper laughed, sticking her head out of the door to the dressing room, "You have to change back first…"

"Oh!" Sora squeaked, rushing back into her dressing room, "I almost forgot!"

* * *

"I clean up pretty good," Finn stated arrogantly as he straightened the pearl white tie around his neck and flattened the matching silk vest to his chest. He, Aerrow, Stork, Junko, Aida, and the Dark Ace were standing amidst a tuxedo shop in downtown Lumina crammed with every other male member of the twilight knights. Somehow Advent had managed to strong arm the owner of the shop into outfitting all fifteen men for the peace conference (although she must have paid him _very _generously to do so), "Wouldn't you say, Aerrow?" Aerrow said nothing. He merely looked nervously into the mirror before him, hoping that the shade of orange he chose would match the gown Piper chose.

"Why did this conference have to be so last minuet?" Aerrow sighed, flipping back and fourth between a bright orange vest and a more pastel.

"Just go with black," Aida suggested, throwing the garment over his shoulder, "It goes with everything.

"Thanks!" Aerrow smiled, unbuttoning the somewhat atrocious orange vest and pulling his arms through the black one.

"And to answer your question," Aida replied, buttoning a bubblegum pink vest which matched his hair, "The conference is so last minuet because the call to arms was so last minuet. All other parties invited aren't having the same problem as us because they have dress uniforms or attire."

"Does this," The Dark Ace began, stepping out from behind the curtain of a dressing booth, "look okay?" He was almost completely outfitted in a tuxedo, like the other boys (except for his jacket) and adorning a pale lavender vest, hoping it would match Starling's gown.

"Other than lavender being terrible on you?" Aida replied jokingly, "No…"

"Seriously!" Ace snapped, clearly not knowing what he was doing.

"Ugh!" Aida groaned, "I feel like I'm baby sitting…Okay so Starling is wearing Purple right?"

"Just go with black!" Aerrow laughed. It was then all the boys in the room burst into laughter.

"It's not our fault we know nothing about all this girly fashion stuff Aida," Finn then stated, posing in the mirror before him.

"What can I say," Aida shrugged, "I'm gay…I practically make culture! Oh my god…speaking of fashion and stuff…Stork…what in God's name are you wearing!" Aida exclaimed in reference to the atrocious sea foam green silk vest the merb had on over his dress shirt.

"It's the color of Doctor Constantine's dress," Stork replied casually, throwing his jacket on (which helped a little). In truth, the color wouldn't be so awful on someone like Ace or Finn, but seeing as how Storks fur was such a wonderful shade of sickly green, the two colors did not play well off of one another.

"You're going with Doctor Constantine?" Aerrow inquired, looking a little confused.

"Yes," Stork replied casually, "I asked her, not to mention she enjoys writing black sonnets and poetry and discussing other morbid subjects. We find one another amusing."

"To each his own," Ace nodded casually, turning back to an array of various colored purple ties (still fixated on finding one that might possibly match Starling).

"So Junko," Finn began slyly, moving over towards his cohort, who was quietly trying on vests and ties in various shades of pink, "Never told me who it was that you're talking to the ball!"

"It's not important Finn!" Junko grumbled, giving him the cold shoulder.

"I knew it!" Finn laughed, nudging Junko's arm, "You're taking Cyclonis aren't you! You can tell me pal!"

"Actually," Dark Ace interrupted, "I heard one of the twins asked her."

"That's right!" Aida chimed, "Nevan asked her yesterday on the flight deck!"

"Then…" Finn began, thoroughly confused, "Who are you taking?"

"That's for me to know," Junko began smugly, placing a large tuxedo jacket over his shoulders, "And for you to find out tonight at the conference!"

"Hmph!" Finn grumbled, crossing his arms.

* * *

Once the shopping had been done and the garments had been purchased for the events of the evening, the Twilight Knight returned to the Tempest II for a few short hours of relaxation before getting primped and polished and presenting themselves at the conference. The women spent their few hours bathing, fixing their hair, and readying their garments while gossiping about whom they were being escorted to the event with. The men however casually loafed about the ship, relaxing and wasting their time before it was absolutely necessary to get ready.

During this time, the Dark Ace was sitting practically by himself upon one of the large scarlet couches of the recreational area with his nose stuck in a book that Advent had so generously leant to him. He had never been one for reading in the life he had before, it was always about the fighting or training. But ever since his second shot at life, he had become a bit more scholarly. People passed by him frequently, but he never looked up to address them, possibly because none of them stopped to address him. All except one.

"Oh 'allo!" He chirped, stopping in is tracks as he loudly rushed through the room, "I am zo zorry! I did not zee you zere!"

"Hello Jean," Ace greeted coolly, looking up from his book at the pale engineer. He had to admit, once he wasn't covered in engine sludge, Jean was quite a handsome fellow, and he had an accent (which most women did find irresistible), "Can I help you with something?"

"No," Jean replied politely, "Can I not just 'ow you say…chat wis ze friend?"

"We're not friends," Dark Ace replied coldly, looking back to his book. He caught a glimpse of Jean's face quickly though, and his heart sank slightly (something he wasn't at all used to), "I'm sorry…that was rude…and uncalled for." He sighed, closing the book and placing it on his lap.

"It is…'ow you say…no big deal!" Jean smiled, lightly tapping Ace on the shoulder, "You are just jealous of me no?"

"Excuse me?" Ace replied, entirely taken aback by the question.

"I am zo zorry!" Jean squeaked, looking down at the floor, thoroughly embarrassed, "I am not zo good wis ze English. My zizter Fontine is much better zan me!"

"It's quite alright," Ace replied politely.

"But it is because I am taking Madamoiselle Cloud to ze ball," Jean then began, looking to Ace, "You…'ow you say, wish to make ze beast wis two backs wis 'er? No?"

"Oh!" Ace shouted immediately upon hearing this, dropping his book on to the ground, "No! NO! Jean…no you have it all wrong…I am….no…No…I am not interested in Cloud _that _way…no…" He stammered, pulling at his collar, and lying through his teeth.

"Do not be zo modest!" Jean smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Elle est une belle fille! Any man would be 'appy to escort 'er to ze ball!"

"You're quite lucky to have her Jean," Ace replied, with sad eyes as he lifted the book off of the ground, "And…" he began with a sigh, "If Cloud has the same mutual affection that you do for her, do not let me stand in the way of the two of you…and your relationship."

"Zat is a very noble of you Monsieur Dark Ace," Jean replied with a smile as he began to remove one of his work gloves, "But it is not necessary…for you zee…I am, 'ow you say…engaged!" Jean smiled, showing Ace a pale silver band on a very suspicious finger on his left hand.

"Engaged?" Ace asked, looking from Jean to the ring, and back, "To be married!"

"Oui!" Jean replied with a smile, "She lives on my 'ome terra of Ciel! Ah! Ma Rose bien-aimée! Je chéris et l'aime si! Elle est la lumière de ma vie! Rose and I shall be married once ze war is over."

"So you and Cloud are-" Ace began, looking slightly relieved, but confused.

"We are not," Jean replied with a slight smile, "She is yours for ze taking, mon ami!" Jean smiled before rising to his feet, and leaving the room, "And 'as anyone ever told you 'ow much you are like Master Advent?" Jean inquired just before leaving the room.

"No," Ace replied, turning around to look at Jean, "Not really? Why?"

"You two," Jean stated, "You are both very…'ow you say…classy. Très élégant! And dignified…not to mention…zat book you are reading…_Ze Prophet_, it is Advent's favorite." He concluded before leaving the room.

"Hmm," Ace replied, contemplating the thought, "Funny…It's my favorite too…Oh no is it that time already?" he sighed, looking at the large clock on the wall and noting it was nearly six thirty. Advent wanted them all dressed and out front of the conference building by eight, so he placed the book down on the space beside him and rose to his feet. As it would seem all of the other men had the exact same thought at the exact same time, for the men's residential hall was completely packed, as every man in the squadron flocked to their rooms, scurrying to throw on their vests, ties, and jackets, while also smoothing down their hair with brilliantine and trying to appear as presentable as possible.

The same could be said for the women on board, except they had been doing so all day long. Attempting to find a pair of stockings that didn't happen to have a run in them, searching for their missing gloves, and dousing themselves with perfume was what had been occupying their time. However, they noted that one particular person had not been seen on board the ship all day.

"Has anyone seen Master Advent?" Ravess inquired as she attempted to put on a long dangling crystal earring (which was not cooperating with her), stepping out of her room and into the hallway of the women's residential hall (which was abuzz with the women of the squadron), "I haven't seen her since she sent us into the city this morning…"

"No," Nova replied with a sigh, as she adjusted her thick diamond necklace, "I can't say that I have…Odd…you'd think she'd be here giving us lectures about etiquette or something of that sort before the conference."

"It's nearly seven thirty!" Piper exclaimed, sticking her head out of the door to her room. With these words everyone began to scramble, ding quick adjustments to make up, clothing, or whatever else before they all headed down to the flight deck of the Tempest II. By the time all of them were actually done however, it was nearly eight. So, with clutch purses in hands, hair done up, and standing upon the highest and most uncomfortable heels possible, the women made their way to the flight deck and quickly down the opened hatch out on to the streets of Lumina City.

The Tempest II was gently hovering in front of the conference hall, a magnificent and regal marble building with towering glass windows that opened out on to large glass balconies from the ballroom inside, which looked out over Lumina city on one side, and on the opposite side, looked over the gardens of the hall. The inside of the building glowed as though it was constructed of gold and there was a fantastic array of sounds coming from inside.

"Quickly now!" Nova commanded, as the other women followed her up the marble steps of the hall, "The men are already inside!" She snapped, as the women passed under a golden banner that read: Welcome leaders of Atmos.

They stepped through the golden doors of the hall, and truly, the inside was magnificent. They stood in the foyer, just barely catching glimpses of the gilded ballroom, which seemed to appear as though it was flooded with gold and crystals. Most of the white marble columns of the foyer were painted in detail with gold leaf, and above them were several ornate crystal chandeliers.

"Ah!" Advent chimed, as she stepped through the collection of well dressed men, towards the women of her squadron. Advent looked more ethereal and stunning than usual. Her gown flowed behind her like fluid air, and it appeared as though small drops of pure rain were effortlessly clinging to her person, shimmering in the light. She was quite a regal sight to behold, "There you all are! Almost late as I had expected…wait…where is my daughter?"

"Oh my god!" Piper exclaimed under her breath, "I can't believe we forgot about Cyclonis!"

"I'm right here!" Cyclonis then chirped, rushing into the foyer of the hall. The dress she had chosen was stunning. But it wasn't the dress that had caught everyone's attention. She had done up her hair as so it was pulled back out of her face, and removed the dark make up from her eyes and gone with a more subtle approach for the conference. Everyone was shocked for a change that they could actually see her face.

"Hey?" Aerrow then asked, looking around at all the faces, "Where's that Victor guy?"

"He volunteered not to go," Nova stated, "After all, someone needs to keep watch over the carrier."

"Alright," Advent began with a slight sigh, "Is everyone here then?" She inquired as the men began to take their dates by the arm. Aerrow looked down at Pipers gown and let out a sigh of relief. He was glad he had gone with black. He gown was stunning. Strapless, with a sweetheart neckline that started out as a bright nectarine color but gradually faded into almost white with a mermaid skirt. Nothing he had even looked at would have even came close to a match in color.

"Wow…" Ace whispered upon looking at Starling. Her dress was simple, floor length, and strapless with a straight neckline, but a cut up the left side of the dress that went flirtatiously high and showed off Starlings usually hidden (but surprisingly sumptuous) legs.

"Do you like it?" Starling asked modestly, and a little nervously, "I didn't know what would be appropriate…seeing as how we're just acquaintances really and I-"

"You talk to much," Ace replied, interrupting her, "You look lovely."

"Thank you," Starling replied with a smile as she took his arm.

"Oh Monsieur Finn!" Fontine giggled flirtatiously as she strode over to him, "Zere you are!"

"Oh la la!" Finn replied upon first look at her 'gown'. It was white, fairly low cut, and rather short, with an excess of fringe and beading to attract and command attention.

"You like?" Fontine asked, placing her arms around Finn's neck and moving in close to him, "Yes?"

"Oui! Oui!" Finn replied flirtatiously as he then took her arm.

"So Junko," Cyclonis smiled, walking over to the wallop with the pale twin, Nevan, on her arm, "Where's your date?"

"Right over there?" Junko smiled, as she began to approach him.

"Junko!" Sora smiled, wearing her age appropriate pink gown, "Are you ready?"

"After you my lady!" Junko began courteously, as he leaned over and offered his arm to her, and she took it accordingly.

"Junko you cheated!" Finn growled, "You took the easy way out!"

"Oh shut it Finn!" Starling laughed.

"Now everyone!" Advent chimed, standing before the collection of couples, "Before the conference can officially begin, we the Twilight Knights must be formally introduced…in _couples_. Understand? So I want everyone to get into a straight line starting with myself and Nympherious. Once the two of us are introduced, we will step out on to the ballroom floor and begin a waltz. Nova and Snipe will then be introduced next."

"Wait!" Junko called, "I'm confused! How do we know how to be introduced?"

"The squires standing on the top stair that leads down into the ballroom," Advent explained, pointing to the two men standing on each side of the staircase, "You simply tell them how you wish to be announced. They'll announce you, you descend the stair case, step on to the floor, and begin the waltz! Everyone understand?" They all nodded in agreement as they began to form a straight line of couples.

"Can you go ahead of us," Junko asked quietly before Cyclonis and Nevan could jump into line.

"We don't really know what to do," Sora replied, looking down at the floor.

"And I'm no good at this formal stuff," Junko laughed nervously, "I figured since you were so good at the dances you could-"

"It's no problem," Cyclonis replied with a slight smile, "Just follow our lead."

Advent began the line as she took Nympherious by the Arm and the two made the way a few feet from the start of the grand stair case that lead into the magnificent ballroom. Nova and Snipe continued the line behind them, followed by Aerrow and Piper, Nikolai and Zelkovitz, Ace and Starling, Finn and Fontine, Ravess and Neviaan, Aida and Innes, Leto and Aru, Jean and Cloud, Stork and Doctor Constantine, and finally ended with Cyclonis, Nevan, Junko, and Sora.

"Introducing!" The squire hailed as the entire ballroom, crammed with people they didn't know was silent as they watched Advent and Nympherious step up to the staircase, "Master Advent, leader of the Twilight Knights and Captain Nympherious of the Twilight Knights!" The crowd clapped gracefully as the two headed down the steps and on to the ballroom floor, where they watched Nympherious take Advent by the waist (which I'm sure was actually much more intimidating than it looked) and guide her across the floor. Couple by couple, the knights were introduced until they finally reached Cyclonis and Nevan.

"How do you wish to be announced madam?" The squire inquired quietly as she and Nevan reached the steps.

"Cyclonis, Daughter of Master Advent," Cyclonis stated quietly.

"And you sir?" The squire asked, turning to Nevan.

"Nevan, Officer of the Twilight Knights," He stated quietly, just before the squire announced them according to how they wished to be announced.

"How do you wish to be announced sir?" The squire then beckoned to Junko and Sora, who were last in line, and totally reluctant to step up to the stairs.

"Uhm…" Junko began as he and Sora nervously made their way to the staircase, "Junko, of the Storm Hawks and Twilight Knights." Junko stated, recalling that that was what mostly everyone else in his squadron had asked to be addressed by.

"And you miss?" The squire asked turning to Sora. She was quiet as she thought for a moment.

"Sora, Primary Runeologist and Symbologist for the Twilight Knights," Sora stated maturely. The squire nodded and introduced them as so and the two descended the stair case confidently and joined the rest of the Twilight Knights in the waltz.

"I hope they're enjoying their little party," Cypress laughed coldly, standing upon the roof top of a nearby building outside of the conference hall. Her harem of lackeys was with her along with a few other shadowy beings that didn't look familiar at all, "Because it's about to get crashed…very soon."

"When do we strike!" Skyler growled, clinging to the ledge as though she wanted to leap off of the roof and into the ballroom right then and there.

"Not now Skyler my dear…" Cypress smiled, placing a freezing hand on her shoulder, "Just give it some time…"

The waltz then concluded and Advent stepped away from her dance partner to address the entire conference.

"On behalf of the Twilight Knights and the Sky Knight Council," Advent began gracefully, "We welcome you the leaders of the terras of Atmos to the Atmosian Peace Conference, celebrating the armistice between our peoples in order to face our true threat! So please, we encourage you to enjoy tonight for all that it is!" the crowd then began to clap as Advent gave a slight bow, and the orchestra began to resume playing and people began to flood on to the dance floor.

"Piper!" A voice shouted from behind her and Aerrow. Piper then turned and looked through the crowds of couples on the ballroom floor and noted Princess Perry heading her way.

"Oh my god!" Piper smiled, stepping away from Aerrow and stepping towards her duplicate, "Princess Perry! What are you doing here?"

"I've asked the people of Klokstoppia to do whatever they can to help," Perry stated with a smile, "After all, I am the leader of my terra!"

"Well it's great to see you!" Piper smiled.

"You two!" Perry smiled, giving Piper a hug, "But I have to go! There are so many ambassadors and delegates that I have to talk to, you know, boring official stuff."

"Right," Piper nodded, before Perry stepped off of the dance floor and into the shuffling crowd.

Meanwhile, Finn was standing at the edge of the ballroom floor, without Fontine at his side, looking slightly lost for a moment. Cyclonis, who was without Nevan for a reason, noted that he too was alone, and approached him.

"Finn," Cyclonis called, walking towards him, "Are you alright? Where's Fontine?"

"Ugh!" Finn groaned, rolling his eyes, "This is like the ninth time in the half an hour we've been here, she's gone to fix her makeup! Every time I get a little close to her face she freaks out and then rushes off to completely re-apply her lipstick! What about you? Where's Nevan?"

"Oh," Cyclonis replied, laughing slightly, "It's funny you ask. During the first dance, the waltz, Junko accidentally stepped on his foot. He's been with Doctor Constantine and Stork for some time now…trying to get the swelling down."

"Bummer…" Finn replied.

"Yeah," Cyclonis sighed, "Junko felt pretty bad about it…"

"Well would you like to dance?" Finn asked casually, with a slight shrug.

"Ah…" Cyclonis thought for a moment, "Sure…why not." She smiled, taking Finn's hand as the pair walked out on to the dance floor.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Ace asked, waltzing with Starling across the ballroom floor. She gave him a look that said: Do you really need to ask me that question.

"Ace…you've asked me that every five minuets…" Starling sighed, "I know…I've been timing it…I'm having a lovely time but if you keep asking me if I'm enjoying myself you're going to make me immediately regret asking you."

"At least you're honest," Ace replied with a slight smile. The pair continued to dance quietly before then bursting out into laughter for no apparent reason to anyone other than themselves, "Come on…" He laughed, taking Starling by the hand, "Let me get you a drink…" The pair passed by Ravess and Snipe, who were standing beside one of the large opened glass doors that lead out on to the glass balconies overlooking Lumina City.

"I think the timing is right Ravess," Snipe stated, holding a champagne flute in one of his hands as he looked out into the night sky. He fiddled with something in the pocket of his tuxedo Jacket and then looked to his sister.

"Snipe…" Ravess replied, looking at her brother as though he was a fool, "All the two of you ever do is scream at each other."

"…" Snipe was silent for several moments as he looked back into the crowd. He looked to Nova who was speaking alongside Advent and several other delegates from other terras. Their eyes met and she smiled to him, and he gave her a weak smile back as he touched the item in his jacket pocket once again.

"Snipe you can't be serious," Ravess replied haughtily, looking to him then to Nova. She rolled her eyes and walked away from him and headed back into the crowd. Snipe looked back up to the sky, let out a sigh, let go of the item in his pocket and then returned to the crowd and headed towards Nova.

"What were you and your sister talking about?" Nova asked as he escorted her on to the ballroom floor.

"Nothing Tarja," He replied, kissing her on the forehead, "It's not important."

"You dance quite well Finn," Cyclonis stated, giving him a slight bow, once the orchestra had finished the selection and the waltz was over.

"You…you do to," Finn replied, oddly at a loss for words.

"Oh zere you are Finn!" Fontine sighed, pushing through the crowd. Cyclonis rolled her eyes as she stepped towards them, "Oh…'allo Cyclonis…I suppose I should thank you for keeping my date entertained while I was gone, no?" She jeered, flirtatiously.

"She wouldn't have had to if you didn't keep running off…" Finn replied, rolling his eyes. Cyclonis let out a small laugh, which made Finn smile, but Fontine did not appreciate at all.

"Cyclonis!" Nevan laughed, limping slightly as he headed towards her, Stork and Doctor Constantine in tow, "There you are! It's amazing I can find anyone in this mass of people."

"You're foot's alright then?" Cyclonis laughed, looking from Nevan's face to his left foot, which she could see was bandaged even from under his shoe.

"I'll be fine to dance," Nevan replied, taking her hand, "If that's what you're asking."

"You know Stork," Doctor Constantine began as the pair began took their leave of the two young couples, "From what I've seen perhaps you were meant for a job in the field of medicine rather than a carrier pilot…"

"Yes," Stork replied, slightly fascinated by the subject, "I do find the inner workings of the human circulatory system and how it manages to deliver blood to the heart so _fascinating_…"

"As do I," Doctor Constantine chirped, "Aren't vital bodily fluids just astounding!"

As it would have appeared, the night was going exactly according to plan. Hours passed by without anything going awry. And, unbeknownst to many of the guests, Advent and many of the other leaders of Atmos were signing treaties and documents while the guests were frivolously enjoying themselves. However, everyone was so caught up in their own escorts, dramas, and gossip, that no one noticed six shadowy figures standing upon the staircase that descended into the ballroom.

"Excuse me madam?" The squire asked as the ghostly pale woman in a black gown, holding a black mask over her face moved to step into the ballroom, "But were you invited to this event?"

"I don't need an invitation…" She smiled, removing the mask from her face. The squire's face turned white as he tried to shout: Cypress. But the words did not come out. She snapped her fingers as the shadows on the walls behind him dragged the poor squire into the wall and into some unknown abyss, "Come…" She commanded, to her masked entourage, "Let's dance…shall we?"

"Master Advent," Nympherious sighed, dancing with Advent, as he watched the other Twilight Knights before him. Nova and Snipe were trying their hardest not to start fighting, he was almost positive that Starling and the Dark Ace were drunk, and everyone else was involved in some petty drama, "I can't help but feel that before the night it out someone is going to produce a piglet and have us all chase it!"

"Oh please Nympherious," Advent laughed, "Give the other Knights a little more credit than that!"

"Yes Nympherious," Advent heard a cold harsh voice laugh in her ear, "Give them more credit…" The pale woman in the black mask laughed, standing beside the couple, "Would you mind if I cut in…" She demanded, shooing Nympherious away. The merb instantly knew who this woman was and stepped away from her. Advent bowed before the woman, although she did not return the courtesy.

"To what do I owe the honor sister?" Advent asked coldly.

"Oh," Cypress sighed, jokingly pouting, "You ruined the surprise…" She laughed deviously as she took Advent's hand and continued to waltz, "Let us talk…shall we sister?"

"I've nothing to say to you Cypress," Advent replied darkly, "You're outnumbered here…leave before you regret it!"

"I dare say," Cypress laughed deviously, "I'm not outnumbered at all." She smiled, snapping her fingers. It was then that Advent felt something seize her ankles. She looked down to notice that it was her own shadow.

"What sorcery is this!" Advent whispered, looking down at her malicious shadow.

"I have many, many tricks up my sleeve sister," Cypress smiled, snapping her fingers again, as Advent's Shadow released her and resumed its natural state.

"What do you want Cypress?" Advent growled, trying to remain as subtle as possible for both hers and Cypress' sake.

"As I said…" She smiled, "Let's talk…I know that you're afraid that I am going to take my far-side army and cull another terra some time soon, but in exchange for something…I am willing to insure that all the terras of Atmos will be safe for generations to come."

"I don't believe you," Advent stated, staring at her sister's cold red eyes through the mask, "But I'll hear through to your demands."

"First," Cypress stated, as she and Advent casually continued through the waltz, "I want the heart of Yseronde back…it belongs to me, and your squadron stole it!"

"Not happening," Advent replied, "What is your next condition?"

"I want an Aurora Stone," Cypress replied casually.

"Impossible," Advent shrugged, "Aerrow destroyed it years ago!"

"Possible," Cypress replied, tapping her sister lightly on the nose (which she did not appreciate), "And I know you know where to get another one."

"You can't expect me to ask her," Advent replied, outraged by the thought of whatever it was Cypress was asking, "Anyway, what are your other demands?"

"Captain Scabulous, the Murk Raiders, and the Raptors," Cypress then stated.

"You mean _raptor_," Advent replied, "In your poor persuasion skills you murdered Repton's squadron remember? As for Captain Scabulous and the Murk raiders…it's clear where their alliance is. Any other absurd demands that you have sister?"

"Just one," Cypress smiled, ceasing the steps of the dance and standing before Advent, "You see…I no longer have my immortality like you, and I will need a successor…seeing as how you ended the life of mine. I also would like to take to the obsidian sanctum, an emperor to my throne…"

"If I recall," Advent snapped, "You have Meno, and Skyler. Are they not successors enough? And one of your male lieutenants would make an excellent match for your emperor…why badger me for one?"

"The thing about successors Advent," Cypress sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder, "And you should remember this from the short time you reigned over Cyclonia, is that your successor really should be of your own blood."

"No…" Advent whispered, "No, no, no…NO! You can't have her! It took me two years to save her life! It took me two years to save her from _you_!"

"She was a fine ruler of Cyclonia though," Cypress hissed deviously, "With my guidance of course…almost succeeded in conquering Atmos too…And come now sister, is Cyclonis' life really more important than that of the million lives of the atmosians, that need I remind you, you'd be sparing if only you'd let me take Cyclonis back under my wing."

"She was never under your wing!" Advent growled, "She was under your _control_!"

"Same idea," Cypress laughed coldly.

"You never told me who you would like to _forcibly _take as your husband anyway," Advent jeered, wishing that she could spit in Cypress' face.

"Who said anything about my emperor being a _husband_," Cypress laughed, as she leaned over and whispered in Advent's ear, and Advent became red in the face with anger.

"Are you trying to spite me!" Advent hissed, "And have you been watching me!"

Meanwhile, given that everyone was completely oblivious to the dark presence of Cypress and her malevolent forces, Cyclonis sat in the gardens outside of the hall, staring up into the clear night sky, just taking a break from all of the loud chaos of the ballroom inside. She heard some giggling and slight laughter coming from behind her as she watched Piper and Aerrow slightly stumble out on to the grounds as well.

"Oh sorry!" Piper giggled. Their cheeks and noses were both slightly red, and given both of their foolish behavior at the moment, Cyclonis guessed that both of them had probably had a few too many, "I guess this spot's taken Aerrow!" Piper giggled.

"Then we'll just have to go somewhere else!" Aerrow replied flirtatiously, snuggling up to Piper as they ran off deeper into the garden. Cyclonis let out a slight laugh as she shook her head and looked back up at the sky. A few moments later, she heard someone else step out of the ballroom. She turned to note that it was Finn.

"Oh…" He began, "Hi…"

"Hello," Cyclonis greeted. She gestured for him to sit down upon the stone bench next to her. Quietly he did so, "What happened to Fontine?"

"Nothing," Finn shrugged, "Jean wanted to dance with his sister…tradition or something like that…I don't know so I thought I'd come out here and get some air."

"Me too," Cyclonis nodded. It was quiet between them for a long period of time. Cyclonis wasn't particularly good at small talk, and was desperately searching for something to say, "So…How do you like being in-" But she was quickly interrupted.

Before she could finish her sentence, or even think for that matter, Finn had placed his hand upon her face and pressed his lips against hers. She didn't really know what to do or how to react for that matter. She closed her eyes, and placed her hands upon his face and held them there, as did he, for some time. They never opened their mouths, let their hands explore one another's bodies, or felt any sort of urge. It was just a kiss. A plain, simple, beautiful kiss. She then opened her eyes as she felt him gently pull away.

"Sorry," He apologized softly, "I should go." He stated, rising to his feet. He got halfway to the door back to the ballroom and then stopped and turned around to face Cyclonis, "You know…you're pretty…" He stated nervously.

"Thank you…" She replied, not sure how exactly to respond to that (seeing as how no one ever gave her such a compliment before).

"No," Finn replied, shaking his head, "I mean you're _really _pretty. And I never really noticed it before…maybe because I never really see your face. Y-you have pretty eyes, and uhm…" He continued nervously, "And…that's all I'm going to say before I make a bigger idiot out of myself…"

"Finn…" Cyclonis began, looking down at the ground, "I…" But before she could finish they heard a scream from within the ballroom and the lights extinguished.

"What was that!" Finn exclaimed.

"That sounded like Aru!" Cyclonis exclaimed as the pair rushed into the ballroom. Sure enough everyone cleared off of the floor, as Cypress was floating above it, her body radiating with a dark reddish glow. Leto was holding Aru in his arms, looking up hatefully at the witch. Thankfully, Aru was not dead, but she was injured.

"You gonna pay for dis!" Leto shouted as he spat on the ground before Cypress.

"Of course!" Cypress laughed sarcastically, throwing a red bolt of light down at the ground as a reddish electricity then began to pulse through the room, sundering and shattering the marble of the hall. Everyone began to scream as bits of marble began to fall from the ceiling and a chandelier came crashing to the ground. Cypress' minions then removed their disguises, revealing themselves throughout the party and then making their way behind their masters.

"Let this be a lesson to all of you!" Meno shouted, "Maybe you should spend more time training, and less time dancing!" She smiled deviously as she snapped her fingers. The room then swarmed with black winged creatures (most likely nightcrawlers) which moved at such a speed that they could hardly see. The nightcrawlers tore at their skin and clothes and knocked each patron to the ground in a large chaotic swarm. They were defenseless though. Without weapons or hope, all they could do was swat their arms and pray.

It was at that moment, when the floor began to glow a bright purplish color. When they looked down, they noticed that it was a rune. A large, glowing, purple rune was on the ballroom floor. The hall then flooded with light, and the nightcrawlers dissolved, leaving nothing but a pale grey ash that floated gently to the floor. However, Cypress and her lieutenants were gone by this time.

"I did it!" Sora chirped weakly, her pink dress in shreds like everyone elses, holding a now dead crystal in hands just before she fell to the floor.

"Sora!" Junko exclaimed, catching her before she fell.

"I saved everybody!" Sora smiled just before fainting in Junko's arms.

"I must say," Zelkovitz sighed from within the arms of her husband, "If it was not for Sora and her runeology…we could have been killed."

"What do you presume our next course of action should be Master?" Nikolai inquired, keeping a firm hold on his unsettled wife as he looked to Advent.

"I'm not sure," Advent sighed, rising to her feet, and brushing the rubble off of her body.

"One thing's for sure," Nova growled, rising up off of the ground, her once beautiful azure gown now in shambles, "The next time I fight that Meno bitch…I'm gonna kill her!"


	19. Chapter 18: Tuning Forks

Chapter XVIII.

Tuning Forks

"Oh my god…" Ace grumbled, looking down at the table before him, late the next morning. He was the sickliest color, and looked like her was going to heave at any moment, "I never want to hear the word _vodka _again!"

Many of the twilight knights were feeling rather ill, be it from being attacked, or from being hung-over. Regardless, the majority of them convened late the next morning in the dining hall of the Tempest II, for a quick bite, and possibly a word from Advent. However she did not show up.

"Really," Nova sighed, as she sat down beside him at the table, placing a small shot glass next to him, "Because I was going to suggest you drink this…"

"What is it?" He mumbled, taking the shot glass in his hand.

"A little hair from the dog that bit ya!" Nova replied, feeling equally hung-over.

"Nonsense!" Doctor Constantine scoffed, "The only descent cure for a hangover is aspirin and plenty of water."

"I'll take it!" Ace stated, holding out his hand as Constantine dropped two white capsules in his palm.

"You're a fun sucker," Nova began, looking to Constantine, and taking the shot.

"Does anyone else have a killer headache!" Aerrow moaned, burying his face into his hands, feeling as though he was about to vomit.

"If you'd eat something you'd feel better," Piper groaned, making a rather vague attempt to eat herself (given that she was hung-over as well).

"Well I have a killer headache," Cloud sighed, walking on to the scene, "But probably not for the same reasons as you do."

"What happened!" Junko exclaimed, looking at the large, stitched up gash on Cloud's forehead in addition to being quite beat up (like everyone else)

"Nightcrawler got me good," Cloud sighed, "Thankfully Jean and I weren't drinking, or else I'm sure this would be vastly more uncomfortable."

"Cloud you just be gettin' beat up all ova da place," Leto sighed, looking over Cloud's tattered frame as he took a sip of his beer. And it was true, her arm was broken and in a sling, and in addition to being beaten by the Nightcrawlers, she now had the large scar across her head to show for it.

"Too bad we don't have another druid on board," Nova sighed, taking a bite of toast. Aerrow turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Cloud why don't you just heal yourself?" Aerrow inquired as Cloud took a seat next to Aida. Cloud let out a sigh and looked to him.

"Druids can't use their healing abilities on themselves," Cloud explained, "When we're given the gift, that's one of the stipulations."

"I see," Aerrow replied with a frown, wishing there was something he could do.

"Has anyone seen Starling by chance?" Aida asked casually, knowing full well where Starling was at the very moment. Ace shot his brother a nasty look and Aida shrugged as though he didn't know why Ace was looking at him like that.

"No," Piper replied, turning to Ace, "Although she looked like she was having fun."

"That doesn't mean I know where she is right now," Ace replied, rolling his eyes and shaking his head, "She's probably sleeping off last night…"

"In your room," Aida mumbled under his breath, taking a sip of orange juice as Ace shot him a hateful look.

"What did you say?" Cloud asked, turning to look at Aida.

"Nothing," Aida shrugged, "I didn't say anything."

"Damn right you didn't say anything," Ace grumbled under his breath.

"Now what did you say!" Cloud asked, feeling that something was definitely going on that she was left out of the loop on.

"Aida can I talk to you in private please," Ace demanded as he rose from the table. Aida said nothing as he too rose from the table and followed his brother out of the dining hall and into a quiet and secluded hallway, "What is your problem!"

"My problem!" Aida snapped, "I'm not the one who's been running around poking every woman on the squadron!"

"Excuse me!" Ace exclaimed outraged by the thought, "I've done no such thing since I've gotten here!"

"Liar!" Aida shouted, slightly laughing at his older brother's absurd denial, "First you bed Cloud and now you've inebriated a respectable Sky Knight like Starling and you bed her! And you deny it! I watched you take her into your room last night. Explain that."

"She was much worse off than I was," He replied, thoroughly upset by the accusations laid against him, "I wanted to keep and eye on her so she wouldn't asphyxiate in her sleep! Certainly you can't hold being a _gentleman _against me!"

"Fine," Aida snapped, crossing his arms, "I'll bite…explain Cloud!"

"How do you even know about that!" Ace growled, feeling as though this conversation shouldn't even be happening.

"Cloud told Piper," Aida explained flatly, "Piper told me…word travels…now explain!"

"Did she tell you that nothing happened…" Ace began crossing his arms, "And more importantly, I want to know why you seem to care so much Aida!"

"Why does that matter?" Aida growled.

"I think it has to do with you competing with me!" Ace shouted in Aida's face, letting his old self shine through for a change, "It's always been that way…you've always trying to live up to my standards…be just as good as me! But this time around you can't! You can't be a lady killer because you're gay! Just stop it Aida! I'm tired! I'm hung-over! And I am in no mood to deal with my petty little brother!" He concluded before leaving the hallway and returning to the dining hall. Unbeknownst to both of them, Cyclonis was listening in the entire time.

"Aida," Cyclonis began quietly, approaching him from behind, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Aida snapped, his voice quivering a little, "I just can't believe he would say something so vile…so cruel…so vicious…so…so…so true!" He shouted before bursting into tears. Cyclonis didn't quite know what to do (emotions were not her strong suit) so she seized him and tightly wrapped her arms around him, as he buried his face in her shoulder and continued to cry.

"It's alright," Cyclonis then said, "I'm sure he'll apologize once he's realized what he said…I hope…" It was then Cyclonis then heard a loud high pitched ringing in her ears. It sounded just like a tuning fork. She knew this sound well. It was the sound she infrequently heard when Cypress was around, "AAAH!" She growled, throwing her hand over her ear.

"What is it?" Aida inquired looking to her.

"Get Advent!" Cyclonis commanded, looking as though she was in pain as she gripped her ear, "Now!" She commanded as Aida ran off down the hallway. Cyclonis then rushed into the dining hall to tell the others that she believed Cypress was coming, but she saw them, and somehow think they also got the message. Cloud, Ace, Aerrow, Finn, Piper, and Junko were all clutching their ears in pain, most likely hearing the booming sound of the tuning fork.

"Why won't it stop!" Finn shouted, gripping his head.

"What's going on with them!" Doctor Constantine exclaimed looking to the seven teens and then to Nova.

"Where's Advent!" Nova shouted, knowing exactly what was going on.

"Calm down," Advent stated, calmly as usual as she gently strode into the room with Stork and Sora (who were both in pain) and Aida behind her, "Cypress is not on her way…" It was at that moment the ringing in their ears ceased and they were released by the crippling sound.

"Does someone wanna explain ta me what da hell just happened?" Leto asked casually looking back and fourth at everyone in the room.

"I'm so confused," Cyclonis stated, "I thought that sound was a sign for the nine of us that meant that Cypress was on her way?"

"It's a sign for the nine of you all right," Advent sighed, looking to her nine special knights, "But what exactly it's a sign for…I'm not sure…"

"Master Advent!" Innes' voice sounded through the intercom of the Tempest II, "Please come to the flight deck immediately!"

"I'm not sure I can handle much more shenanigans today," Advent replied with a slightly irritated sigh as she rushed out of the dining hall (everyone in the room following her out as well) and up to the flight deck. The doors parted before her and she stepped on to the floor where Innes, Nikolai, and Aru were looking down with concerned and slightly sickened expressions at a telegram in Aru's hands.

"What is that?" Advent inquired softly as Aru handed her the paper, Nova looking over her Master's shoulder's trying to catch a glimpse. Advent then handed the telegram to Nikolai, and gestured him to explain to the rest of the squadron.

"It is a message from Jynx and Cyrus on terra Anu…" Nikolai stated somberly as he looked down towards the telegraph, "It says that they have found five sky knights dead this morning on the Twilight training grounds…all murdered the same way." Nova then took the telegram from Nikolai and continued to read.

"They're brains were blown out through the backs of their heads," Nova stated casually, as though seeing something like that was common, "But all five at once?"

"This sounds to me like the work of one particular minion of my sister's," Advent sighed, taking back the telegram, "One that people more commonly refer to as the _sky knight killer_? Ring any bells to anyone?"

"Skyler!" Ace growled, perhaps looking for a little get back after how she tried to kill Cloud and himself (on more than one occasion) in the Atmosia sewers.

"I hate her…" Sora then stated disdainfully as she kept her gaze affixed on the ground. A little perplexed by the statement coming from Sora, it seemed as though for the moment, the attention had been turned on her, "She uses her Runeology for revenge and to hurt people…and that's not what the science is for! It's about balance, and understanding! It's people like her that are the reason that Runeologists and Symbologists are stuck on terra Wyndia!" Sora shouted, running out of the flight deck. Piper then turned as though to chase after her, but Cloud placed a hand on her shoulder.

"She needs a moment," Cloud stated quietly. Piper nodded in agreement and turned back to Advent, awaiting her instruction.

"What do you propose is the proper course of action?" Nikolai then asked, in reference to the telegram and the training on terra Anu.

"I suggest-" Advent began, but was quickly interrupted by a siren sound blaring throughout the flight deck.

"Incoming transmission!" Nova shouted, moving to the communications board.

"Oh what now…" Advent grumbled, massaging her temples. Nova then pulled up a video transmission (which the technology of this was quite new and foreign in Atmos), upon a large flat screen before her. The monitor flickered and blinked for a moment until the picture soon came into focus.

"Hello sister," Cypress greeted coldly with a dark smile as her pale face appeared on the screen, "Tell me…did you get my message from terra Anu?"

"That's not funny Cypress!" Advent stated sternly.

"I always did know how to ruffle your feathers Advent," Cypress laughed darkly, "Anyway have you given any thought to my demands?"

"All of them are absolutely out of the question," Advent replied with an arrogant little smirk, which Cypress thought was very pretentious of her, "But I am sure that we could arrange _something_…" She replied sarcastically.

"You try my patience!" Cypress hissed, "If you do not have the things that I desire on terra Wallop by tomorrow before sundown…you can be sure that I will wipe another terra off the face of the Atmos!" She growled before the screen went black.

"What does she want?" The other knights began to whisper amongst themselves, "Whatever it is, it must be powerful…or _whoever _it is!"

"_Ah_…" Aerrow then hissed quietly as the sharp sound of the tuning fork then began to ring in his ear (this time, it was less intense). He looked to the others, and noted that they too were holding their ears. Aerrow's eyes then met with the Dark Ace's and they both had the same look of irritation on their faces. Ace then mouthed the words: Botanica…five minuets. Aerrow understood this and gave him a nod.

* * *

"So far," Piper sighed, sitting with her fellow great guardians of Atmos on a grassy hill within the Botanica, "Every time anyone of us has heard that noise, there's been no pattern to it."

"Maybe it is a warning though," Sora suggested, "I mean we did get the transmission from Cypress a few minuets after we all heard it."

"Yeah," Aerrow sighed, "But she didn't attack."

"Wait!" Cyclonis interrupted, "Let's go over when, where, and who heard what one more time…"

"Alright," Aerrow thought, "I heard it for the first time when Sora pulled us from the Far side."

"That's about when I first heard it too," Cloud stated, "Except I thought something was just stuck in my ear."

"I heard it when Cypress attacked us then on terra Larkenus too," Cyclonis stated.

"And then twice now…" Piper thought.

"None of these events add up," The Dark Ace stated, "There's no pattern or set events to which we hear it!"

"So what does it all mean?" Finn asked.

"Who knows," Cyclonis sighed, "But does anyone know what Cypress was talking about when she asked for her _demands_?" At that moment, everyone immediately turned to look at Ace.

"Why do you all assume I know something!" He exclaimed nervously.

"Because you do…" Cloud growled, "You know things about Advent that no one else does…so spill! What's she hiding?"

"Alright," Ace sighed, looking down at the ground, "Cypress wants the heart of Yseronde back…remember back on terra Amazonia, when Meno had us under her control?"

"Yeah!" Aerrow exclaimed, "She was using that red crystal to do it, and Nova took it from her."

"Well she wants it back," Ace added, "Cypress also wants an Aurora stone, because even though the first one was destroyed…Advent evidently knows where to get another one…She also wants Captain Scabulous and the Murk Raiders now that we have an alliance with them. But her last demand is that…well…she wants you…" he stated, turning to Cyclonis.

"What does she want with me!" Cyclonis exclaimed, feeling frightened and scared.

"Cypress said she wanted a blood relation to be her successor," Ace replied, "But I do know this…if Cypress wants a successor to her throne…it means she's no longer immortal, which mean's she has a weakness and she can be killed."

"That's great news!" Junko added, "Why didn't Advent tell us that earlier!"

"Why didn't Advent tell us about this at all?" Stork asked suspiciously, looking towards Ace as though he was leaving something out.

"You nine!" Nova then shouted, bursting into the botanica, scaring the nine teens half out of their wits, "Hangar bay! Now!" She demanded as the teens scrambled to their feet and headed towards the bay. Ace let out a sigh of relief, now that he was able to avoid Stork's question. But then he felt someone seize his wrist and pull him back. To his annoyance, it was Stork.

"You know," Stork began darkly, "Doctor Constantine and Advent have been best friends for a very, _very _long time…"

"What does that have to do with me?" Ace snapped pulling away from him.

"The Doctor and I have been spending a lot of time with one another lately," Stork stated, "And she told me an intimate and interesting little fact about the night Advent brought you back." Ace looked at him with wide eyes. No one on the ship was supposed to know that he and Advent shared a Soul, "So I know why you know so much about her…and I also know that Cypress wanted something else from her…what was it Ace?" Stork demanded, crossing his arms.

"Why are you doing this?" Ace asked, feeling backed into a corner.

"Because I don't really care much about the other Knights on this ship," Stork stated, "But I won't stand by and let you and Advent withhold anything that might endanger my life or the Doctor's."

"You have to swear on your soul you won't tell anyone," Ace stated, "If you tell _anyone _what I am about to tell you…Advent could have us both executed for treason…"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," Stork replied.

* * *

[**Message from Kingdom Come**]: Short chapter :P So I **promise promise promise promise **that no chapter will ever exceed twenty pages ever again in the future (unless you guys actually liked the longness rather than the shortness? I don't know…maybe if you left some feed back and told me what chapter length you liked better :D *hint hint* *wink wink* *coughs**cough* Anyway! Asshole Dark Ace is back! YAY! Haha okay only sorta…You'll note he reverts back to his old evil self when he's hung-over and when he's fighting (both of which we see in this chapter), but he's a lot like Advent, or just acting normal during everyday carrier life (because I get a lot of questions about that actually so…questions answered).


	20. Chapter 19: The Culling of Terra Wallop

**[Disclaimer]: **I do not own _the Prophet_. Nor any quotes from said text. Khalil Gibran does…but he's dead…so I don't think he'll mind too much.

**[Message from Kingdom Come]:**but I think So I've noticed I've been updating quite a bit lately, given my work/class schedule, but whatever. Anyway, I still have the poll open on my profile page, it's just for kicks, it would be cool of more people would go and vote, because I'm noting that there are a lot of hits/visitors per chapter so yeah :P Also, if you aren't sure what a 'Plague Doctor' is, just google images it, and you'll know lol. Also, if you've ever seen or heard of the show called 'The Tudors' all about King Henry VIII, It's like my newfound obsession and I've been on a Tudors kick (you should really watch it!), and clearly it's been effecting my writing, hence all the talk of heresy, treason, and beheadings :P Also, I decided to give Cyclonis her ride back. Not sure why…I just felt like it. And just to clarify: we now know the tuning fork sound as nothing to do with Cypress. A few people have been asking and I just thought I'd make that perfectly clear.

* * *

"Do you have what I require?" Cypress growled, standing before a rather large, black cloaked creature, wearing a metal bird-like mask. The figure merely nodded as it pulled a small wooden box from its robes and handed it to her. Cypress smiled darkly as she opened the chest to reveal six small glass bottles, filled with a glowing murky green sludge. She then closed the box and bowed her head towards the creature kindly.

"Thank you Plague Doctor," Cypress smiled, "I don't know what we would have done without you. Anaxagoras! Please, kindly give the Doctor his payment." She gestured, having no true intention of actually paying the strange creature. From behind, Anaxagoras pulled a dagger from his sleeve and moved to kill the creature, but, though he moved in to strike quite swiftly, the tall and somewhat bulky creature turned and seized Anaxagoras by the wrist with its gnarled, claw-like, hand , and threw him against the wall of the throne room.

"How dare you!" Skyler hissed, her hand pulsing with red electricity. She motioned to attack, but Cypress placed a cold hand on her shoulder and gave the Plague Doctor a dark look, realizing that this strange being was no ordinary creature.

"Let him go," Cypress stated darkly staring him down as he began to slide into the shadows, "But know this, Plague Doctor…from this day on…you have made an enemy of me and my lieutenants…" In a sickly and wheezy voice, the Plague Doctor replied to her:

"As…have…you…" before slinking off into the shadows from whence he came. Cypress sneered at the creature, but then turned to her wooden box. Her trusted lieutenants gathered around her and her chest of treasures and they looked in confusion at what appeared to be a box of bottled sludge.

"What…" Anaxagoras began, sneering down at the substance, "Is that?"

"It is a liquefied plague stone," Cypress stated, handing the box off to Meno as she took one of the glass bottles from the chest. She then threw the vessel on to the stone floor, it shattering immediately as the repulsive liquid dispersed across the ground. The substance then began to pull together and harden before their eyes, and become a murky green stone, "Utilizing one of these with Skyler's power of Runeology…we could infect half of Atmos in a matter of hours."

"That's brilliant Master," Meno stated.

"My sister surely is prepared for whatever I bring from the far side," Cypress smiled arrogantly, "But I am sure she is not ready for biological warfare…"

"I don't think this is a good Idea," Anaximenes stated quietly as he pulled a strand of red hair out of his face.

"You're not here to think!" His brother snapped, giving him a hateful glare, "You're here to do as you're told!"

"Yes…" Cypress smiled, looking at the greenish stone in her hand, "Seeing as how today we are having our little get-together with my sister on terra Wallop, why don't we send her a reminder, of the visit, and of my demands…Anaximander…you've not spoken much nor done anything to prove your worth," she stated arrogantly, turning to the quiet, watery haired triplet, "Would you do the honors?"

"Yes my Master," He replied quietly, sliding off into the shadows to enact her will.

"Why send him?" Anaxagoras snapped, turning to Cypress. She gave him a condescending look and sighed.

"Anaxagoras…" She began, "Jealousy is such an unbecoming trait…besides, you've done such a fine job of botching every task I've handed to you…I figured I'd give your brother a chance…he seems less likely to fuck it up! Am I clear!"

"Crystal," Anaxagoras replied angrily, looking to the ground as Meno laughed under her breath at him.

"Now you are never to speak to me in such a manner again," Cypress stated angrily, "Or else I'll have your head!"

Chapter XIX.

The Culling of Terra Wallop

Advent sat the next day within her personal chamber, standing before a large glass case, in which was a bright reddish crystal. She let out a sigh as she motioned to remove the glass, but then was quite reluctant to do so once she placed her hands upon the glass. She then thought about everything else that her sister had demanded of her, all of them being out of the question, but she thought about it none the less. She then turned, once she heard a knock upon the door.

"You may enter," Advent stated, not really caring who it was. Cyclonis stepped into the room, holding a sliver tray. She placed it upon the night table beside her mother's bed and then stepped towards her.

"Nova requested that you eat something," Cyclonis stated, standing beside her mother, "You've been hold up in your room all day…and who knows what events may transpire."

"You should worry less about my state," Advent smiled, turning to her daughter, "And more about yours…"

"I am not afraid," Cyclonis smiled bravely, placing her hands upon her mother's shoulders, "We know that Cypress has to be a mortal, and I do not fear those who are as mortal as I am."

"If not the world were as brave as you," Advent sighed, removing the crystal from the glass case and placing it within her white robes, "Now if you excuse me my dear…" Advent sighed, "I need to go speak with an old friend about a crystal." She continued, gently guiding her daughter out of the room. She closed the door behind her, and Cyclonis saw a flash of white light shine from under the door. She thrust the door back open to reveal that her mother was no longer present.

"Advent!" Cyclonis called, looking about her mother's chamber, but there was not a soul to be found. In a confusion, she left the room and continued down the hallway, completely oblivious to the thin gray mist gently seeping in through the cracks in her mother's chamber. The mist condensed upon the wall, until it all collected and slid down into a clear puddle of water on the floor. After doing so, the water began to sluggishly move across the pristine floor of the ship, gliding out of Advent's chamber and down the hall, keeping close behind Cyclonis. She then entered the recreation deck, where she found seven of the _different _knights, in a close knit group with one another.

"I feel as though we should be preparing for today," Cyclonis stated darkly as she stepped on to the deck, "I believe we may be heading into the maw of madness in a few hours."

"Hey you guys!" Aerrow exclaimed, rushing into the room behind Cyclonis, "I think we-" He continued, but stopped once his foot landed in a large puddle behind her, "What the…"

"Oh come on you guys!" Cyclonis snapped, rolling her eyes, "Whoever spilled that should at least have the courtesy to…" She stopped, observing the faces on her fellow twilight knights, who quickly rose to their feet. Cyclonis and Aerrow turned around to see that the water on the floor was sliding to collect into one single mass on it's own. The pair stepped away as the mass of liquid began to take a shape. The water then took the form of a man with icy blue hair and a familiar face.

"You're one of Cypress' men!" Aerrow exclaimed angrily, drawing one of his blades, "What do you want?"

"To send a message…Master Cypress wants to make sure that you don't forget to bring what rightfully belongs to her," He replied coolly, "And I have a name you know…also, I didn't appreciate you stepping on me…" He then added, as Aerrow was knocked to the ground by what felt like a wall of water.

"Leave him alone!" Piper exclaimed, once the water re-formed into a human again. She took an orange crystal in her hands and sent a blast of fire from the small rock. What Piper didn't think through, was that this man could turn into water, making him very hard to hit, not to mention making fire useless. So, Ace decided to play his hand. The water reformed to a human behind Cyclonis, and he quickly moved to seize her. However, without thinking, Ace plunged his blade through the back of the man, and through his abdomen. Unfortunately, this didn't work. He turned his head to face Ace, and then formed back into water, dropping to the ground.

"Give it up," The mysterious man growled, knocking Ace to the ground, "You can't win guardians…"

"Or can we," Sora thought, pulling on one of her black gloves and taking a bright yellow crystal from her satchel. One of the runes upon her glove began to glow the same yellowish color as the crystal. Sora placed it upon the ground, which happened to be made of metal, "I'm so sorry everyone!" Sora exclaimed, as the yellow crystal faded into the floor and a large, painful, pulse of electricity was sent through the recreation deck, electrocuting everyone in the room.

"AAH!" The heard a sharp scream come from the water, attempting to form back into a human. But rather, it fell back down on to the floor in a messy puddle. There then was a sharp crackling noise as the water then reverted into mist, and flooded out of the room through the microscopic pores in the ship's surface.

"Thanks Sora," Aerrow groaned, still feeling an awful tingling sensation throughout his body.

"Did you really need to do that though," Finn growled, twitching a little as a result of the aftershock.

"Don't complain," Cloud snapped, "If anyone needs to see me before we land, I'll be in the medical ward…Aerrow, I want you to come now! It looks like that creep gave you quite a bruise."

"I'm fine," Aerrow replied, touching the large welt on his head.

"Oh you haven't heard?" Ace replied playfully, "Cloud doesn't take no for an answer!"

"Laugh it up," Cloud snapped, "Because you're next…" She added, as she and Aerrow headed off of the deck and into the hall.

"Quick thinking though as usual," Piper smiled, placing her hand on Sora's shoulder (even though it was quite painful).

"So what are we gonna do now?" Junko interrupted, "Advent can't seriously be thinking of giving Cypress all that stuff?"

"We don't even have everything she wants on the ship," Stork added casually. It was then when Ace shot him a dark look and mouthed the words: Don't you dare!

"What do you mean by that?" Piper inquired, turning to Stork.

"I just mean that we don't have an Aurora stone for her," Stork replied, as though divulging secret information was no big deal. Ace let out a slight sigh as he pierced through Stork with a hateful gaze.

"Is everyone here alright!" Starling exclaimed, rushing into the room with Nova fast behind her.

"It took you long enough!" Finn snapped, Piper then giving him a swift jab in the side with her elbow.

"For whatever reason," Nova then explained, "The locking mechanism on the doors to the flight deck were jammed."

"Nova's right," Starling nodded, "Most of the squadron was up there…we were virtually trapped…they just stopped malfunctioning recently though."

"Well that lackey of Cypress certainly did his job then," Cyclonis sighed, placing her hands on her hips, "The message was received loud and clear."

"Well you best ready yourselves," Nova then stated, "Because we'll be arriving on terra Wallop very soon now." The two women then headed out of the room, with most of the others following after.

"Hey!" Ace growled, seizing Stork's arm, "We need to talk!"

"About?" Stork replied casually, acting as though he had done no wrong.

"Are you trying to get us both killed!" Ace shouted once he was sure that that two of them are alone, "Or are you just seriously _unaware _of the consequences of what may happen if anyone other than the two of us gets a hold of this information."

"Apparently," Stork stated haughtily, "Cypress already has it. Besides you and I both know that Advent isn't permitted by her religion or the Sky Knight Council to take a lover…so why shouldn't we out her."

"Because we need her!" Ace replied darkly, "Not to mention they'll both deny it, and once the war is over _both _of us will be beheaded for treason! So if this blackmail is based on some personal vendetta involving me, clearly you haven't thought this through…I'd seriously reconsider, because if I go down…I'm taking you with me." He growled, before leaving the Merb alone in the room. Stork let out a frustrated sigh, because Ace was right about one thing, he hadn't really thought it through, and he did quite like living and keeping his head exactly where it was.

* * *

"We'll be arriving any minuet!" Nova shouted as the other Twilight Knights scurried about the flight deck, "Where is Master Advent?"

"I'm right here," Advent stated calmly as she strode on to the deck, everyone greeting her with a proper salute, "Calm down Nova…you act as though I would leave my squadron in a state of peril."

"Coming up on terra Wallop!" Aida shouted from the helm.

"Master Advent!" Innes then shouted, "We're seeing some storm clouds collecting around the terra."

"Then she's already here," Advent stated with a slight smile, "Alright! Twilight Knights, to your fighters!"

"You think it wise to have our squadron fly down individually?" Nova inquired. Advent said nothing. She merely smiled and nodded as the squadron rushed to the hangar bay.

"I want all knights present!" Advent stated, as she headed in to the hangar, "Excluding Innes and Jean…you two keep watch of the ship! I'm not loosing another tempest…"

"Yes Ma'am!" Both Jean and Innes stated with a salute as they headed back on to the flight deck. Advent then casually passed by Sora and placed what felt like a crystal wrapped in a white cloth in her hands. Sora looked in confusion to Advent, and then to the parcel. Advent just smiled in response as she moved towards her skimmer. As quickly as they could, the squadron rushed to their fighters and began revving their engines, as Advent and Nova took off from the hangar. They all followed after, and dove into the pale gray clouds that hung ominously over the terra. The air was surprisingly warm, and seemed to grow warmer and warmer as they pressed through the clouds. Bits of what felt like debris kept flying in their faces and stinging their eyes. Unfortunately, flying through the burning cloud resulted in separation, and very poor landings for most everyone on the squadron. Aerrow was the first to touch down on to the ground, where his skimmer sputtered and slid out of control on the oily white substance below him.

"Ick!" Aerrow groaned, as the others landed in the same fashion next to him. He did the best he could, attempting to remove the white substance from his body, but the more he brushed it off, the darker it got, transitioning from white to black, "What is this stuff?"

"It's no snow I've ever seen," Cloud stated, rubbing some of the substance in between her fingers.

"That's because it's not snow," Cyclonis stated darkly, "It's ash…"

"No!" Junko exclaimed.

"Scour the area!" Ace then commanded, "look for any signs of life!"

"She wouldn't have," Piper stated calmly, placing her hands on Junko's shoulder, "Not yet…I mean she has to give Advent a chance right?"

"Guys!" Finn exclaimed, pointing to what appeared to be an orange glow off in the distance, through the thick haze, "I bet you that's where Cypress is!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Aerrow exclaimed, "Let's go!"

It didn't take them long to reach the site. Maybe a few minuets of running. However, what they found there was less than pleasant. The other twilight knights had already arrived to the scene, helping to evacuate the wallop families from the burning town. What appeared to be a clock tower (but was so marred by the fire it was hard to tell), began to creak and soon collapsed, sending a cloud of hot ash flying through the air. The wallop townspeople began to scream as they watched their town, and what few that didn't make it out, collapse and burn within the fire.

"Show yourself Cypress!" Advent shouted, her voice sounding even over the chaotic cries of the citizens and the roar of the fire burning the city.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," Cypress laughed darkly as she and her lieutenants stepped out of the fire. Advent and the other knights let out a gasp as they realized that four of her minions had someone restrained in their arms. Cyrus, Jynx, Repton, and Captain Scabulous, "I picked these up on a quick stop to terra Anu! I'm afraid you'll find the city of Reve Anu in quite a ruin unfortunately."

"Let them go!" Aerrow exclaimed, taking a step towards them.

"Do you have what I require?" Cypress inquired, not taking her eyes off of her sister. Advent looked down towards the ground with a frustrated expression on her face.

"Here!" Advent growled, throwing Cypress a crystal from across the way. Cypress caught the pale blue crystal without breaking her posture or even moving. She looked down at it's glowing surface and smiled. It was an Aurora stone, "That's all I'll give you!"

"Then here," Cypress smiled darkly, "If it's a trade you want…it's a trade you'll get!" She smiled, gesturing her lieutenants to release Jynx and Repton. The pair ran for the other Twilight Knights immediately after they were released, "Your captain…and a filthy lizard is fair for the stone…don't you think? However, I dare say…in order to get your _other _right hand woman and the alliance of the Murk Raiders…I'll need a little more than that…" Advent clenched her teeth, as she reached for the reddish crystal within her robes.

"The heart," Advent sighed, holding up the crystal, "I give this to you…and you give them back to me…and leave this terra in peace!"

"How shall I go in peace and without sorrow?" Cypress then stated deviously, "Nay, not without a wound in the spirit shall I leave this city…To quote _the Prophet_…if I recall, that is still your favorite book…correct sister? At least, I shall not leave in peace without all that I came for." She smiled darkly as she then turned her attention to Cyclonis, who stood her ground as she took a deep breath, trying not to be afraid. Finn was standing beside her, and she felt his hand wrap around hers without a word. She kept her eyes fixed on Cypress as she gripped his back.

"How dare you quote the Prophet!" Advent growled, staring down her blasphemous heretic of a sister.

"Do we have a deal?" Cypress smiled as Advent moved to hand her the crystal.

"Advent NO!" Cyrus demanded, "I'm not worth it!" Captain Scabulous said nothing in response to Cyrus' plea, but he somehow knew, at this moment, his life was dwarfed in comparison to the magnitude of what was truly going on. Advent looked into both of their faces, and clutched the stone.

"No…" Advent replied, gripping tightly to the stone as she heard the roar of the engines of the Tempest II. The carrier landed in the white ash behind the crowd, and the hatch began to open as the wallop citizens began to flood onto the ship for safety, "I won't let you win this…"

"Then so be it!" Cypress hissed, "Burn this terra and its people to the ground!" She growled as nightcrawlers appeared, flying in every direction, and shrouding the skies in a haze of black.

"Twilight Knights!" Advent commanded, unsheathing one of her platinum rapiers and pointing it towards Cypress and her lieutenants, "To battle!"

"Do as you wish," Cypress smiled darkly as her minions launched into the fray. Many of the Twilight Knights were pre-occupied with some three or four nightcrawlers, but as expected, Skyler went directly for the Dark Ace.

"Oh no you don't!" Cloud exclaimed as she leapt into the air, her body quickly transforming as she glided through the air. She landed upon the ground before Ace in the form of a large white tiger.

"Cloud," Ace snapped, stepping past the beast, "Get out of here…this is my fight!"

"Oh no…" The beast growled, prowling towards Skyler, "This is a rematch I've been waiting for!"

"So be it," Skyler growled, as he arms began to pulse with the red energy, "Eliminating you will be simple, druid!"

"You'll eat those words!" The beast shouted, letting a deep roar sound throughout the air as she pounced towards Skyler. She had Skyler pinned to the ground, and unable to move her hands, therefore rendering her incapable of runeology.

"Get off of me you filthy beast!" Skyler growled, trying to kick Cloud off of her body, however the attempt was futile.

"Not until you leave me alone!" Ace growled, holding his blade above Skyler's head.

"Never!" Skyler growled, looking him in the eyes.

"Just tell me why Sky…" Ace asked quietly, looking into her face with sincerity, "We used to be friends…don't you remember?"

"That was a long time ago!" Skyler screamed, grasping the two large paws that held her down, sending a red electricity through Cloud's body, throwing her off Skyler and causing her to fall unconscious.

"Fine…" Ace sighed, kneeling down before her, "Than I conceit to defeat." he stated, leaning his head towards the ground. Skyler said nothing. She placed her hand on his head and her arm began to pulse with red energy.

"ACE!" Aerrrow shouted, throwing a night crawler off of his body, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? RUN!"

"Yes Skyler!" Cypress shouted, even though she was locked within combat with her sister, "End his existence!"

"Just let me say one thing," Ace requested before Skyler turned his skull into a thousand splinters. Skyler growled at him, but let him speak, "You know what happened on that day was not my fault…keep that in mind. Do you truly hate me? Or is it that you are just looking for someone to place blame?" Skyler bit her lip and let out a growl, for she knew that he was right. It was at that moment, when the image of the Dark Ace she saw now faded as was replaced by that of a boy, a boy she knew rather well. He was tall and thin, with disheveled dark hair, and dark eyes. The image of they boy smiled up at her, and the sounds of laughter began to resonate in her head. She stood gripping the roots of his hair for what felt like an eternity, even though it was only a few moments. Her hand then slid off of his head as she looked down at him, her eyes filled with shame.

"What are you doing Skyler!" Meno shouted, dodging a shot from one of Nova's guns, "Kill him!"

"I…can't…" Skyler then stated weakly, looking down at him. Ace then looked up at her with slight confusion (for he thought that he was going to die for sure no matter what happened), "I won't…"

"How dare you!" Cypress screamed, knocking her sister back against the ground and turning her attention to Skyler, "You do not disobey me!" She hissed, stepping towards her.

"Are you going to fight me Cypress?" Skyler asked presumptuously, standing before Cloud and the Dark Ace, "Even now that I know your secrets."

"What?" Cypress inquired, looking to Skyler.

"That reliquary!" Skyler shouted, pointing to the object hanging at Cypress' waist, "It's her mortality…"

"You foolish girl!" Cypress hissed, "From this day onward-"

"I have made an enemy of you…" Skyler replied, "And you of me…" Cypress glared darkly at Skyler as she and her remaining allies disappeared in a flash of reddish light. The nightcrawlers flew into the air, shrouding the sky in blackness once again as they departed from the terra. Advent turned to the burning town and let out a sigh of despair once the darkness had passed. She then looked to Sora, and gestured her to come towards her. Sora obliged, trudging her feet through the ash upon the ground.

"Use it," Advent stated quietly, nodding to her satchel. Sora reluctantly removed the parcel she had been given earlier, and unwrapped it from the cloth. She held up a pale bluish stone, and looked to Advent, "You know what to do…" She smiled weakly, gesturing Sora to move toward the burning city.

Sora nodded. She placed the crystal down on to the ground and drew several different types of runes in a circle around it within the ashes. She placed both of her hands down gently on the crystal, letting her fingertips touch the smooth surface. The crystal and the ground began to glow a bright pale blue, that extended into the burning city. Everything the almost white light touched, was consumed, and upon contact with the light, the fire was extinguished. The rubble and marred buildings began to glow as well. It was then when a bright flash of white light flooded the air. When the light dissipated, it revealed that the town had been rebuilt, and was left just as it had been. Sora then pulled away from the crystal and noticed it had not lost its glow or luster, much like most do after being used. She also did not feel weak or tired. To the contrary, she felt fine.

"What is this?" Sora asked, looking over the crystal. Advent took it from her hands and wrapped it back in the cloth, placing it back in her robes.

"You did well," Advent smiled, placing a pale hand on Sora's face.

"Advent I'm sorry," Nova began, taking a few steps towards her Master, "But they took Cyrus…and Captain Scabulous…"

"We'll get them back though," Aerrow added, walking up beside Nova, "You can bet that all of us are going to do what we can to-"

"It's alright," Advent then stated, turning towards her squadron, "We were able to save the people of this town…and we made sure that this terra was not removed from the face of Atmos…"

"And what about you?" Ace asked, turning to Skyler, "Where will you go now?"

"You're welcome to join us," Advent stated, much to the dismay of others, "Any enemy of my sister's is an ally of mine."

"I will not," Skyler declined politely, as she crossed her arms, "The Twilight Knights are too generous to travel with the likes of me…I will stay within the shadows and lend my aid whenever I can." Skyler stated, giving Advent a salute, and turning away from them and heading into the cloud of ash that still hung thickly over the terra.

"Come," Advent then commanded, gesturing them to release the wallop people from the safety of the Tempest II, "Return these good people to their homes…" It was almost as though they did a trade off. As the wallop citizens descended from the hatch to the hangar bay, the other Twilight Knights began to ascend. But as Cloud began to walk up the hangar hatch, something caught her eye, along with Doctor Constantine's. Both women stood, fixated on a shadowy figure that could hardly be seen through the ash.

"Who is that?" Cloud asked herself before being pushed on to the hangar bay. What she saw, was a large, towering creature, with claw like hands protruding from the dull black robes covering its body. A black cowl covered most of its head, and a pale metal mask that resembled that of a bird's, covered its face.

"Who are you talking about?" Starling asked, placing her hand on Cloud's shoulder. Cloud then looked back into the ash and saw no one.

"Never mind…" Cloud replied, looking from the ashes to Doctor Constantine, who appeared to still be looking at the creature.

"Are you alright?" Advent then asked, taking the time to see how Junko was.

"I'm okay," He replied quietly, "We saved a lot of people today, and that's all I could ask for." Advent placed a hand upon his shoulder and gave him a weak smile as she turned to board the ship.

"They are all maturing quite nicely," Nova stated to Advent once she stepped on to the hatch, "I believe they have you to thank for that."

"But they're all just children," Advent sighed, as the last of the twilight knights boarded the ship. The engines of the Tempest II began to roar as the ship gently lifted off of the ground, with Nova and Advent still standing upon the opened hatch, their hair whipping violently in the wind as the ship took to the sky, "No one should be subjected to this kind of hate, this kind of blind rage and anger, at any age…I believe that we saw the entrance of hell today my dear…and it is white…it's snow white…" Advent stated quietly as the ashes that hung thick in the air gently danced around her face.


	21. Chapter 20: Locked In Syndrome

[**Message from KC]: **Hello! I am back for another update! Sorry it took so long, life just caught up to me :P and I know I say the same things in all of my messages:

-Reviews. Please. I can not stress this enough. Even if it's only a few words. Any type of review would be welcome at this point. I give major props to the only person who is reviewing right now (in fact she's my only motivation for updating right now) so keep in mind that more reviews=quicker and more chapter updates. I would also like to know more about what you guys think so far. Things you like, dislike (because if you tell me I can fix it, which I would actually appreciate), favorite chapters, scenes, characters, or even least favorite. I just want to know.

-plus, different poll on my profile now :P It won't take more than a minuet to vote...so go do it NAO!

P.S. The title of the chapter is entitled 'Locked-In Syndrome' not because of some hidden literary meaning, the chapter is _literally _about locked-in syndrome (or some form of it rather)

* * *

Chapter XX.

"Locked-In" Syndrome

"What is her plan for these filthy things anyway?" Anaxagoras growled, scowling down at the murky green stone as he and Meno stood upon a large balcony that overlooked Atmosia. He twirled the stone in between his fingers for a few moments, until he looked back up at Meno.

"I'm not sure," She replied with a slight shrug, "Whatever her plan was, it involved one of the two sciences…which means we needed Skyler for it."

"And unfortunately…" Cypress stated, with a smile as she glided out on to the balcony beside her lieutenants, "She is no longer our ally…but I've fortunately thought of something else. If we can't use Skyler, than do either of you two know a gifted Scientist to which we can gain easy access?"

"I'm sorry Master," Meno began, bowing in apology before Cypress, "I'm afraid I know not of who you speak of."

"As do I," Anaxagoras stated, looking down at the ground (knowing he was already on thin ice).

"Oh please you two," Cypress smiled, turning her back towards them and waving her hand in the space in front of her. A greenish smoke trailed from her fingertips and hung in the air before her. The vapors began to swirl before her and took the form of an oval that hung in front of her. But then, the image of something began to show through the haze. The image came into focus, almost as though Cypress had summoned a mirror from the greenish vapors, yet inside, they did not see their reflections. Rather, they saw a very familiar magenta haired Twilight Knight.

"That little runt Sora?" Anaxagoras scoffed, looking in the face of the young girl.

"That little runt is more powerful than both of you combined!" Cypress hissed, turning to them, "And her power is exactly what I need!" She snapped, turning away from them once again. She clapped her hands together, as a stream of clear water slithered out on to the balcony, much like a large snake. The water then bubbled up and took the form of Anaximander.

"You called for me," He stated flatly, bowing before his master. Cypress smiled at him confidently as she placed her hand upon his head.

"Rise," She stated, as he obliged, "I have a task for you…" She then placed her own murky green stone in his palm, and closed his fingers tightly around the stone, "Go to my sister's ship. Find the little girl."

"Sora?" He asked calmly.

"Indeed," Cypress smiled, nodding at him, "Place this amongst her things…and don't forget to give her this as well." She concluded, handing him a white envelope, upon which was silvery lettering.

"This looks like your sister's writing…" Anaximander stated, looking up at his Master. Cypress said nothing. She merely smiled deviously and gestured him to leave.

"Oh…" Cypress then called before he could slip off into the darkness, "And I forgot to mention…don't let anyone see you…"

"Yes master…" Anaximander stated, dissolving into the thin white mist and disappearing before them.

"And as for you," She stated, turning to Anaxagoras, "I've picked up some interesting information about my future heir…I believe she is letting her hormones get the better of her." She smiled darkly, "I'd like _you _to use your powers of overshadowing to…help her on, so to speak…and cause a little mayhem on the Tempest. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Anaxagoras smiled wickedly, knowing exactly what Cypress had meant.

"Now if you'll excuse me," Cypress then stated, "I must attend to our two very special guests…" Cypress then, turned away, stepping back into her obsidian sanctum. She began to head down one of the dark hallways, where she passed by a young red-haired man, casually leaning against one of the walls.

"What do you have up your sleeve?" Anaximenes demanded, crossing his arms as he turned to Cypress. She said nothing. She replied, by looking him over several times, as though trying to tell him to watch his tongue.

"That is none of your business," She smiled, turning around once she was halfway down the hallway, "It's your job to stay silent and do as you're told."

"Well I'm getting tired of that!" Anaximenes blurted out, wishing that he could keep his mouth shut. Cypress then turned back around to face him, and he could feel his body paralyze with fear as she walked back towards him.

"And why exactly should I care about what you want," Cypress asked, in almost a whisper, as she brushed her pale hand across his face. He replied, by swatting her hand away from his face. He then watched in slight shock (for he wasn't sure why he had swatted her away in the first place) and in some horror as he waited for her to eviscerate him, so something horrid like that. Rather, Cypress smiled, and placed her pale arms around his neck, standing terrifyingly close to him.

"Why you clever little boy…" She smiled, caressing the back of his head with her frigid hands, "You're not a coward at all are you? No…as it would seem you've put on quite the façade… you had Meno, myself, your brothers, and even yourself fooled this whole time, but my question to you, is why would you go through all the trouble to make yourself seem so weak in the eyes of others? What is it that you're hiding?" She then whispered in his ear as her lips brushed up against his skin.

"You'll just have to find out for yourself," He stated almost silently as he gently pulled away from you and headed down the hall.

"No need," Cypress laughed quietly to herself, "I already know."

* * *

The next day was somber to say the least. The dark clouds that hung over Atmosia began to stretch across all of Atmos, coating once beautiful terras in a thick layer of snow. There was never really such a thing as _seasons _in Atmos, seeing as how the weather on most terras remained the same all year. And, it was apparent that the locals and the ecosystem were starting to suffer from the sudden cold. Typically, when one thinks of snow, people usually think of beauty. However the only thing that the snow reminded the Atmosians of was death and suffering.

At first, when the snow began to spread, every terra in which it covered thought that they were the next in line to be culled. However, when they began to evacuate, Cypress never came. It was as though she was torturing the people, holding the treat literally over their heads, but never coming to act on it.

"What do you propose we should do now?" Nova asked, leaning upon the silver railing on the balcony outside of the flight deck. Advent was standing beside her, letting the cold air sting her face as they flew through the air.

"What if I were to die tomorrow?" Advent inquired, turning to look at Nova, "Then you would have to decide the proper course of action…"

"Excuse me Master but I-" Nova began. She then stopped once Advent turned and gave her a sharp look. Nova sighed and looked down at the ground.

"We can't do anything…" Advent replied.

"Well on the positive side," Nova sighed, looking into the gray clouds, "According to Jynx, the Sky Knights will be ready for battle within a few weeks."

"Then that's when we'll storm the citadel," Advent stated, "I know that numbers do not win wars, but there is a clear advantage to having them."

"Then you have a plan?" Nova asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Advent sighed, "But then again I rarely do…" She added, turning away from Nova, and heading back on to the flight deck. Nova then let out a sigh as she turned to look at the dark grey clouds before her. A shiver then went down her spine as the Tempest II sailed through the freezing air. She looked to the clouds once more before turning around and heading back on to the flight deck herself. Little to their knowledge though, the twilight knights were not alone.

Anaximander slipped through what little cracks and crevices of the ship in his vaporous form, looking down at the twilight knights as he gently floated above their heads. Where as his brother, Anaxagoras, stalked and kept a close eye upon them from within the very shadows cast upon the walls. He kept a particular watch on one Twilight Knight from within the darkness. His dark eyes were fixated on Finn, as he walked about the ship casually, completely oblivious to what ill-fate was about to befall him. While, Anaximander kept a watch on Sora, gently floating above her head in the form of an almost invisible mist.

For a split second, Sora left her crystal bag alone in the botanica for a few moments as she turned to look at a strange and exotic plant. He seized this moment and took a human form, kneeling beside Sora's bag. He slipped the murky green stone into the largest pocket, with the letter attached to it. He then heard Sora approaching and immediately formed back into the unseen mist. Sora lifted her bag off of the ground, ignorant of what was now inside of it, and she stepped out of the botanica. Anaximander let out a slight laugh as he phased through the walls of the ship, and began to gently float back to the obsidian sanctum.

Meanwhile, Anaxagoras was having more difficulty. He followed Finn for what felt like hours, awaiting the perfect time to strike. But he was never alone for one moment. At every chance Anaxagoras thought he had to possess Finn's body, someone entered the room, or hallway. It was as though some higher power was trying to send him a message telling him not to overshadow Finn.

By this point, he was watching the teen speak with Aerrow about matters unimportant, clenching his fists and grinding his teeth wishing that Aerrow would leave the hallway. That way, Finn would be completely alone. He watched as Aerrow nodded and smiled as he turned away from Finn and stepped out of the hall. Anaxagoras did not hesitate. He leapt from the shadows, and into the hallway.

"What the-!" Finn exclaimed, turning to look at the shadowy figure before him. Anaxagoras then immediately leapt towards his figure, bit rather than knocking Finn to the ground, he phased through him, or rather, into him. Finn let out a scream of pain as he gripped his chest and his eyes began to glow a bright green. He stopped after a few seconds and stood upright, looking down at his hands and feet triumphantly.

"_HELLO_!" Finn shouted, "_Somebody come in here! Hello_!" He continued to shout, but he suddenly realized that there was no voice coming from his mouth. In fact, he as it seemed, he wasn't even in control of his own body. All he could do was watch himself walk forward. He could still feel, and process what was going on, he just couldn't move.

"_HELLO_!" He continued in a feeble attempt to break through to any of the other knights, "_ADVENT? NOVA! PIPER! ANYONE! HELP_!"

"I'd shut up if I were you," He then heard himself speak, as he noted he was standing in front of a mirror, "No one can hear you except for me…and all of your yelling is starting to get on my nerves…"

"_Who are you_?" Finn asked himself, looking into the mirror. It was frightening him and disturbing him at the same time as he watched his own reflection laugh at him, knowing there was nothing he could do about it.

"You already know the answer to that question," He replied darkly, with a sinister smile.

"_Well what did you do to me_?" Finn shouted, waiting for his reflection to reply.

"I've overshadowed you," His reflection replied casually, "You are now trapped within the confines of your own mind…and I may do as I wish with your body…"

"_Get OUT_!" Finn demanded, wishing that he had control of his arms, "_Get out of me now_! _What do you want with me anyway? Go overshadow Aerrow or the Dark Ace!_"

"Remember what I said earlier about making noise?" His reflection replied darkly, "Besides…that's none of your business as to why the Master needs to use you…but if you promise to shut up…I'll make sure that when I kill you once I'm finished, your death with be _tolerable_…"

"_What do you mean TOLERABLE_?" Finn shouted in fear, but he was given no reply by his reflection. He just watched helplessly from within his own mind as his body stepped out of the hallway and headed towards the recreation deck. He stepped through the doors, and noted that there was only one person in the room. Cyclonis was sitting on one of the scarlet couches with her face buried in a book. She heard him step into the room, and turned to look at him.

"Finn," She began quietly, rising to her feet, "…hello…"

"Hey…" He began casually, looking her up and down. She watched him, watching her, and in truth, it made her uncomfortable. She had never been looked at in such a way before.

"Listen," She began, looking around the room to make sure that they were alone, "As long as it is just the two of us here-"

"We're alone…" He interrupted, looking over her in _that _way again, "Does that bother you?"

"N-no…" Cyclonis replied, looking down at the floor. She knew something was off about Finn. He wasn't acting at all like himself, and Anaxagoras knew that she was possibly on to him, "Listen…I wanted to talk to you in private…about what happened on the night of the conference."

"_Don't say anything_!" Finn tried to shout, but the sounds of his cries merely echoed in his head, never once leaving his mouth, "_It's not me! Can't you see that_?"

"You…didn't enjoy it?" Finn asked casually, looking down at his fingernails.

"What?" Cyclonis asked, slightly confused by his strange behavior, "N-no! I did…please don't misinterpret that-"

"_Wait_…" Finn thought, knowing that whatever he had to say was going to be trapped within his mind until he no longer overshadowed, "_She…she liked it_? _Why didn't she tell me_…"

"It's just that…" Cyclonis continued, looking down at the ground, "I don't think it is in the best interest of the squadron…or for us for that matter…if we pursue these feelings…"

"_I don't think so_…" Finn thought, feeling distraught, knowing that he couldn't tell her so at that particular moment.

"I disagree," The words left his mouth, much to Finn's surprise. Cyclonis looked a little surprised, and relieved at the same time. She approached him, as though she wanted to place her hands on him, but there was something about the way he was looking at her that unnerved her so, "Is something the matter?" He asked, stepping towards her.

"_Run_…" Finn thought, as he noted the look of confusion on her face, "_Cyclonis please…run_!" But it was no use, for she could not hear him.

"It's just that…" Cyclonis began, looking him up and down as he placed his hand on her face. Finn was relieved to find that he could still feel, and was at least in some control of his senses, "You're not acting like yourself…"

"How would you know," He replied haughtily as he placed his hands on her waist and began to pull her in slightly, "You've only known me for a few weeks…"

"Excuse me?" Cyclonis asked, slightly offended by his remark.

"Just shut it…" He muttered, moving to push his lips against hers.

"What!" Cyclonis snapped, pushing him away from her, "No! Finn, this isn't like you! I know that for a fact! What on earth has gotten into you?"

"_One of Cypress' crazy goons_!" Finn exclaimed in a vague attempt to communicate, "_Cyclonis go get someone! Anyone! Just get out of here_!" Cyclonis pushed him off of her and quickly headed for the door to the hall.

"I'm sorry," The Pseudo-Finn began, gently seizing her by the elbow. She turned to look at him, with anger in her eyes. She then noted that the strange look was gone, and replaced with that of a more sincere. Obviously, Anaxagoras was re-assessing his strategy.

"Apology excepted," Cyclonis sighed, turning away from the door.

"_NO_!" Finn shouted, "_Don't listen to him! Please! Just get out of here! How can you not tell that this isn't me_!"

"Good," The Pseudo-Finn replied with a pleasant smile as he pulled her back against him. He pushed his lips against hers, parting them, and making an attempt to part hers. At first, she refused, but feeling his soft tongue against her lips, made her cave. They held on for what seemed like hours, mouths opened, tongues twisting and writing behind their lips. Finn then felt his body pull away from her, and their lips parted. She looked at him in confusion as he smiled at her and took a step back, playfully gesturing her to follow him.

"_What are you doing_?" Finn demanded, but his pseudo-self gave him no answer. She followed him all the way into the men's residential wing, where he stopped in front of his room.

"Aren't you coming in?" He asked quietly. She took a deep breath and took a few steps towards him.

"Hey!" They heard a voice snap from down the hall then. They both turned to look, and noted that the Dark Ace was headed towards them, "Cyclonis what are you doing here? You know it's restricted!"

"I'm sorry," She replied nervously, looking down at the ground, "I was…just talking to Finn about something…"

"In his room?" Ace sighed, with disappointment, looking to the two of them. He then turned his gaze to Cyclonis, "leave…" He demanded, pointing down the hallway. She said nothing as she accepted his wishes and left the hallway. Finn then gave Ace a hateful look as he moved to close his door. Ace looked quizzically at Finn, and shoved his foot in the door before it could shut, "What has gotten into you?" Ace demanded, throwing the door back open.

"Get out," the Pseudo-Finn demanded, looking hatefully at Ace, "I don't owe you any explanations…" Ace took a deep breath, trying to ignore the impertinence. He then took the false Finn by the wrist and dragged him out into the hallway, "Let go!" he hissed, trying to make Ace release his grasp on him.

"No!" Ace snapped, "If you're not going to follow Advent's rules, than you'll have to explain yourself to her! You'd better have a good reason for trying to bring _our leader's daughter_ into your room Finn…"

"I said let GO!" The fake Finn hissed, wrenching one of his hands free. With an inhuman force, the Pseudo-Finn threw his hand across Ace's face. Ace let out a scream as he released the teen from his grip. The false Finn then looked down at Ace, noting that he had both of his hands firmly pressed against his face, right where he had been struck (Which was practically the entire right side of his face). A sufficient amount of blood was seeping from in between his fingers, and with shock, Ace pulled his hands away from his face to reveal four long gashes in his skin, stretching from his forehead to his neck.

"What the hell Finn!" Ace shouted, applying pressure to the wound again. He looked at the teen, and noticed that something was definitely amiss. Finn looked crazed. He stared down at Ace almost as though he wanted to kill him, right there. There was some unseen evil flickering in his eyes and Ace's blood was collected under the fingernails of his right hand.

"What on earth is going on in here!" Nova demanded, rushing into the hallway. She looked down at the bleeding Ace, and then to Finn. She looked stunned, for she didn't think that someone like Finn was capable of doing something like that, "What did you do?" Nova demanded, seizing his bloodied hand, and turning to look at Ace, "For heaven's sake Anteres? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine…" Ace replied looking a little pale as he stumbled to his feet. Nova then turned her attention to the Pseudo-Finn, and stared darkly into his eyes for a few moments.

"You're not Finn…" Nova stated darkly, as though literally looking inside of him.

"_Thank god for you Nova_!" Finn shouted from trapped within his mind.

"If I'm not Finn," The false Finn replied, pulling his hand away from Nova, "Then tell me…who am I?"

"I don't know," Nova hissed, throwing her hand on to his face, "But I'm going to find out!" She exclaimed as her arm began to glow, and in a flash of white light that flooded the hall, Nova disappeared, and all that was left in the room was Ace, and Finn's unconscious body.

"Doctor Constantine!" Ace then shouted, lifting Finn's body off of the ground, and rushing towards the infirmary.

* * *

"Good heavens!" Doctor Constantine exclaimed, as Finn's body lied upon one of the examination tables before her. Ace sat upon a table next to that one, where Cloud was gently using her powers to heal the scars on his face, "It appears whatever malevolent force has overcome the body of dear Finn has also trapped him…and from what you tell me Ace, Nova, inside of his own mind…"

"So…" Cyclonis began, standing with the other _high priority _twilight knights, "Finn was possessed…this whole time?" She asked, sounding a little relieved.

"Yes," Doctor Constantine nodded, "But I believe that he and Nova are trapped within him."

"Locked-In Syndrome?" Stork asked, turning to the Doctor.

"I believe so," Doctor Constantine nodded somberly.

"Well can't Cyclonis and I just use our powers to go inside his mind and wake him up?" Piper asked, "I've done it before with Advent."

"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way," Doctor Constantine sighed, looking down at the ground, "You could have prior to Finn falling unconscious, but I'm afraid if you made the attempt now, you would most likely either be trapped within yourself, or you would run the risk of completely demolishing the minds of all three occupants of Finn's body."

"There's got to be something we can do!" Aerrow exclaimed, looking down at Finn with some despair.

"I'm sorry to say that there is nothing that can be done," Constantine sighed, "All we can do is wait and hope that Nova and Finn can defeat whoever is overshadowing him."

"I don't understand though," Piper began, looking down at Finn's body, "How did he get knocked out anyway?"

"I think it had something to do with Nova entering his mind as well," Doctor Constantine sighed, placing her hand on the unconscious teen's forehead, "Even the most powerful minds have difficulty containing more than one conscious being. I'm sure that when Nova entered, Finn's mind probably couldn't handle sustaining all three within the same body, so he must have shut down."

"I thought Nova was a fighter though," Aerrow then added.

"That's right," Doctor Constantine replied, "…Oh! I understand now! You're wondering how she entered his mind in the first place. Well just between all of us, Advent's been teaching some of the other Twilight Knights Runeology and Symbology under the council's nose. It's very possible that Nova could know something."

"I've never heard of the science doing that!" Sora chirped, looking all too confused.

"I think only crystal mages can," Piper explained.

"Nova didn't have a crystal," The Dark Ace explained looking up at Constantine and the others, his scars still deep and only half healed, "So she couldn't have used either of the sciences, or crystal magic…"

"Very strange," Doctor Constantine sighed, gently running her hair through Finn's hair, "Well I will do what I can…I believe that I may be able to do something to get the body conscious, but I can't be too sure about getting them all out."

* * *

"Finn!" Nova called, pushing through a dark black fog in what appeared to be an endless void, "Finn are you in here?"

"Nova?" She heard him call from within the darkness, "Where are you?"

"I'm right here!" She stated calmly, "Just follow the sound of my voice!" She looked through the darkness, and saw nothing. She turned around to see someone running towards her from within the darkness. She moved to pull out her gun, on the off chance that it wasn't Finn, but neither of her guns were in their holsters.

"Nova!" Finn exclaimed, coming into focus. She let out a sigh as she stepped towards him and caught the blonde teen in her arms as he leapt towards her.

"Are you alright?" Nova asked, looking him over.

"I'm fine," Finn stated, only barely looking at Nova through the darkness, "What about the Dark Ace?"

"He's cut up pretty good," Nova sighed, "But he'll be fine…I must admit you gave us quite the scare…Wait…how did you know about Anteres?"

"I've seen everything!" Finn exclaimed, "It's just that someone else was in control! Nova you gotta believe me, I didn't do that stuff!"

"I know…" Nova replied, "I'm here to find out who did! Now tell me, what do you remember?"

"I was talking to Aerrow…" He replied, thinking for a moment, "And then, I was going to go find Cyclonis…to talk to her about-" He stopped for a moment, realizing that it probably wasn't the best idea to mention the kiss, "…it's not that important…anyway, then some guy jumped out of nowhere, and then…nothing!"

"That's no good," Nova sighed, looking down into the black abyss below her feet.

"Nova…" Finn then asked, trying to make eye contact with her, "How did you get in here anyway? I mean…how did you get in _me_?"


	22. Chapter 21: Showdown on Saharr

**[Message from KC]: **GAH! Ugh, I actually finished this chapter yesterday! But the website that shall remain nameless *coughcough*thisone*coughcough* wouldn't let me log on and was being dumb! Anywho! Not much to say this time around, just ya know, Review! And vote at the poll (it's kinda actually a little significant to the future of the story)! Oh and I said this a few chapters back, that my shift key has gone to shit, well as it appears, I type so frickin' much that the rest of my keyboard has gone to shit too! So thank god for autocorrect, buuuuuuuuuuuut, there may be some significant spelling errors…so I am sorry…

Also, in case you were wondering, Cypress' minions were not born with their powers, nor do they use crystals in order to obtain them. (oooOoOoOOOoooOH a mystery!)

**[quick culture note!]: **Cyprus is the name of a Eurasian island. Cypress is not named after this island. Cypress' name is actually quite symbolic given that she is…well evil and kills everyone. Anyway cypress is actually a species of coniferous trees, but the branches of a cypress tree are used as a symbol of mourning, and cypress is also a kind of fine black fabric used to make mourning clothes. So, I felt since cypress is essentially a symbol of death, it would be a fitting name for our villain! So, ya know, just a little info about how our main baddie got her name

* * *

Chapter XXI.

Showdown on Saharr

"That complete twat!" Cypress exclaimed from within her throne room. She was standing before her scrying pool, looking down at the unconscious body of Finn from within the Tempest II, "How could he let something like this happen?"

"As I have said before," Meno began darkly, stepping out of the shadows, "I don't understand why you keep those useless brothers around…"

"Anaximander I must excuse," Cypress sighed, "he completed the task as I had instructed, and his powers have proven quite useful on several occasions."

"But Anaximander can't use his powers at will," Meno added, making a valid point, "The more he transforms into water per fight, the weaker he gets!"

"And you're one to talk Meno," Cypress scoffed, turning to her and giving her a dark look, "You've yet to impress me…so I suggest you stop trying to place blame on those three boys and start doing your part."

"Yes master," Meno replied, bowing her head towards Cypress. Her master then turned back to the scrying pool, and watched as Doctor Constantine sat by Finn's bedside, keeping an ever watchful eye on him. Cypress watched as Advent walked into the room, and relayed some information to her. Doctor Constantine rose to her feet, but before exiting the room, she leaned over the bed and kissed the sleeping teen on the forehead. Cypress raised an eyebrow, and then a smile crept across her lips.

"What do we have here?" She asked, taking an interest in the Doctor's involvement with Finn, "This…might be worth investigating…I need to relay a message to those foolish sky knights anyway…" Cypress smiled darkly, placing something in her lackey's hands. Meno looked down at the small piece of parchment and moved to open it, but Cypress slapped her hands, and she immediately understood that the letter was not meant for her eyes, "Meno my dear…have you ever been onboard the Tempest?"

* * *

Meanwhile, several of the Knights passed through Finn's room in the infirmary, infrequently, hoping that he might awake. Cyclonis stopped into his room where she found Doctor Constantine sitting at Finn's side. She didn't notice Cyclonis step into the room, and she watched the Doctor, brush a strand of hair out of Finn's hair. Constantine let out a sigh and looked at him as though feeling guilty.

"Eh-hem…" Cyclonis coughed lightly, letting the Doctor be aware of her presence. Constantine turned to look at her and rose to her feet.

"Oh hello Miss Cyclonis," Doctor Constantine smiled.

"Hello to you too Doctor…" She replied quietly, bowing her head towards her. Constantine said nothing to her. She simply walked past Cyclonis and headed down the hall of the infirmary. She watched Doctor Constantine walk off into the distance and a puzzled look came across her face.

"hmm…" Cyclonis sighed, turning away from the doorway and towards Finn, "That was odd…" She thought as she sat down in the chair beside Finn, "So supposedly coma patients can hear people even though they're unconscious…" She began, talking to the unconscious body, "No…that's crazy! Of course you can't hear me! I'm sitting here talking to myself!" She grumbled, burying her face in her hands. Little did she know, her words echoed through Finn's mind, being heard by all inside.

"UGH!" Nova growled, gripping her ears, standing with Finn amidst the darkness, "People haven't shut up for the past twenty-four hours! It's driving me crazy! My God, if I ever fall into a coma, nobody talk to me!"

"Nova what are we going to do?" Finn asked sounding completely distraught, and ignoring her comments completely. Nova let out a sigh as she looked around the darkness again.

"I don't know!" She grumbled, scratching her head, "I can't seem to find the bastard who started all this in the first place…I KNOW YOU'RE IN HERE!" Nova exclaimed, her voice resounding through the abyss, "You know…I've heard of being empty headed…but Finn I think you take the cake!"

"Thanks Nova…" Finn growled, sarcastically, "I…I appreciate that…"

"Will you to shut it!" Anaxagoras demanded, stepping out of the darkness and towards the pair, "As if it isn't bad enough that your whole squadron has been clamoring in our ears, then I have to listen to you two complain while you're at it!"

"Nova!" Finn exclaimed, ducking behind her, "That's him! The guy who started this in the first place!"

"Really," Nova growled, "I thought he was just a figment of your imagination!"

"Can we seriously _not _do this…" Finn replied haughtily.

"Alright punk…" Nova snapped, turning to Anaxagoras, "It's time to get out of Finn and off my ship!" She reached for the holsters of her crystal guns once again, and found nothing, "DAMN IT!" Nova shouted, turning her attention to Finn, "Where are my guns!"

"I don't know!" Finn shouted angrily, "And I don't care! I just want the two of you outta my head!"

"This is all your fault!" Nova shouted, seizing Anaxagoras by the neck, "Why'd you do it! WHY'D YOU OVERSHADOW THE STUPID KID!"

"You're…choking…me!" Anaxagoras gasped, gripping Nova's wrists, trying to pull her off of him.

"GOOD!" Nova growled.

Meanwhile, outside of Finn's body, Cyclonis sat quietly, hoping that something would happen. She let out a sigh as she looked at the clock and rose to her feet, but at that moment, something caught her attention. Finn's body moved just slightly and he made a face as though he was in pain.

"s…stop…" he mumbled before going silent once again.

"…Doctor Constantine!" Cyclonis shouted, rushing out of the room. It was then when a deep black vortex appeared in the corner of the room. Through the darkness, stepped Meno, looking around the infirmary with disgust, after all, it was far too bright for her liking. She then looked to Finn's body and smirked as she sealed the door to his room. She then took a deep breath and smiled as her body became temporarily consumed by shadow. The shadow then dissipated from her figure, but Meno was no longer standing in the room. Rather, Nova was standing at Finn's bedside. She turned her head towards the door once she heard footsteps heading towards the door. She looked to the door and pretended to collapse, as though traumatized. Cyclonis and Doctor Constantine then burst through the door, looking completely stunned to see Nova, laying 'unconscious' on the ground.

"Nova!" Cyclonis gasped, rushing to her side, "Oh my god! How did you get out!" Doctor Constantine kneeled down beside her and began to check her vitals, but looked at her curiously. Constantine then frowned, but continued to make sure that she was okay.

"Anaxagoras…" The fake Nova grumbled as she then lifted herself off of the ground, "Took over Finn…I'm not sure…how I escaped."

"Well thank goodness you're alright," Constantine began flatly, looking to the fake Nova with some disdain.

"Well we should get you up to the flight deck," Cyclonis stated, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face, "Advent nearly hit the roof when she heard-"

"No!" The fake Nova exclaimed, "I mean…not yet…I, I just need to rest…"

"Sure…" Doctor Constantine replied, looking quizzically at her as she began to exit the room, "Take as much time as you need. Come Cyclonis my dear…" She gestured as Cyclonis rose from the floor, and followed the Doctor out of the room.

"What's wrong?" Cyclonis asked, following Doctor Constantine down the hallway, "Shouldn't you be happy! Finn should be waking up any minuet now right, I-"

"I would be ecstatic," Constantine began, turning to look at Cyclonis, "But something isn't right about Nova…and I _don't_ think Finn will be waking up any time soon…" She continued as she and Cyclonis reached the elevator platform to the flight deck.

"But what do you mean by that?" Cyclonis inquired, as the elevator platform began to rise.

"Something is rotten in the Atmos," Constantine stated darkly as she stepped off of the platform and on to the flight deck.

"Good day Doctor," Advent called, from standing beside the ship's helm, "Tell me…any news on Finn?"

"Nova seemed to have made her way out," Doctor Constantine stated flatly. Following this statement, an uproar of voices burst from the other knights occupying the flight deck. Advent however, said nothing. She merely raised an eyebrow as she kept her gaze fixed on the Doctor and her daughter.

"Is that so?" Advent asked, a little presumptuously, "Silence!" Advent then commanded, as the clamoring of the twilight knights ceased, "Mister Snipe," She commanded calmly, as he snapped to attention and gave her a salute.

"Yes master Advent!" he replied promptly.

"You have had carnal knowledge of Nova…" She asked bluntly, "Have you not?"

"Master Advent…" Snipe replied, looking down at the ground, "You can't expect me to-"

"Answer the question," Advent replied with a slight smile. He let out a sigh, and looked down to the ground.

"I…have," Snipe replied modestly.

"Good!" Advent chimed, "Then please…go to the infirmary and see how _Miss Nova_ is holding up." She smiled confidently, gesturing him to leave the Flight Deck.

"Y-yes Master Advent," He replied, only slightly mortified by having to reveal personal information to his leader, and moving to leave the flight deck. It was at that moment, when sirens began to sound through the flight deck.

"Incoming transmission!" Piper exclaimed, rushing to answer the call. The screen flickered with light for a few moments, and the pale familiar face of Cypress appeared on the screen.

"Good day to you Twilight Knights!" She greeted cheerfully, as though mocking them, "I trust that _all _of you are well!" She laughed.

"You know very well that that is not the case," Advent replied cordially.

"Oh you're talking about young Master Finn," Cypress laughed deviously, "It is true that trapping him and Anaxagoras inside of his mind was not my intention…I assure you!"

"What do you want Cypress!" Aerrow demanded, sick of her laughing at Finn's misfortune. She ceased her laughter and stared at him angrily.

"I believe I have something you want," She smiled wickedly as she pulled Cyrus' head beside hers, buy the roots of Cyrus' bright scarlet hair. Advent scowled at her sister as she watched her casually throw Cyrus to the ground as though she was garbage, "And you have something I want…"

"I thought we made it clear that you are not getting the heart!" Cyclonis snapped, not bothering to look at Cypress.

"Oh Cyclonis," Cypress sighed, shaking her head at her niece, "It's really quite a shame that you're wasting your talents in the Twilight Knights…None the less…I'd like to arrange another trade…the heart for Cyrus and the Captain…sound like a deal?"

"…where do you wish to make the exchange?" Advent asked curiously.

"Terra Saharr," Cypress stated flatly, "Be there at high noon…"

"And what if we aren't?" Aerrow demanded.

"Let's just say that it won't end well for your commander then…" Cypress smiled deviously before the transmission signal went dead. Aida and Stork looked to Advent curiously as she turned to look at them.

"You heard her…" Advent sighed, "Set course for Saharr…"

"Yes Master Advent!" Aida replied, saluting her as Stork placed his hands upon the helm.

* * *

"Nova?" Snipe began, stepping into the infirmary. He looked over to Finn, who was laying upon the examination table, motionless. He sneered down at the teen, and looked around the room. But as it appeared, Nova was not present.

"What are you doing in here?" He then heard a voice from behind. He turned and let out a sigh of relief when he saw Nova standing behind him.

"Nova!" He gasped, a little surprised by her presence, and also wondering how she managed to slip into the room behind him, "I can't believe it's really-" He then took a closer look at the woman standing before him. Immediately, he knew that this woman was not Nova.

"Is something wrong Snipe?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You're not Nova…" Snipe replied, narrowing his eyes at her, "Nova has a mole on the corner of her left eye…so who are you?" She looked down at the ground and began to laugh slightly. She looked up at him with a dark smile across her face.

"How silly of me to forget," She laughed as she bushed her fingertips across the corner of her left eye. A small cloud of black smoke collected beneath her fingers, and as she bushed the smoke away, a small black mole was right where Snipe had pointed out, "Is that better darling…"

"What are you?" Snipe asked, taking a step back from the Pseudo-Nova. She took a few steps towards him, unbeknownst to her that Snipe pulled a syringe off of the shelf upon the wall, holding it behind his back.

"Oh come now…" the fake Nova smiled darkly, taking a few more steps towards him, "You know me better than anyone on this ship…you know that I would never-" She continued, but before she could finish, Snipe quickly plunged the needle into her neck, "AAAGH!" She screamed, collapsing to the ground. A cloud of black smoke surrounded her body and when it disappeared, Meno was in her place. She ripped the syringe out of her neck as blood began to pour down her neck. She then slipped back into the shadows from whence she came, as Snipe turned to Finn's body.

"Damn it!" He shouted, pounding on the counter next to the examination table.

"Did you hear that?" Nova asked, placing her hand on Finn's shoulder from within the darkness of his mind, "That sounded like Snipe…"

"Is he your boyfriend," Anaxagoras snapped impolitely from sitting down on the floor of the black abyss (known as Finn's mind).

"I swear to god-" Nova growled, turning to choke Anaxagoras again. Finn placed a hand on her shoulder, and she looked to him, clenching her fists, but in the end giving nothing more than a nasty look to Anaxagoras.

"Why do you care anyway?" Finn asked, avoiding eye contact with Anaxagoras.

"Why on earth would I tell you," Anaxagoras replied haughtily, crossing his arms, and looking away from both of them.

"Ugh…" Nova sighed after a few moments of silence, looking around the abyss, "I wish I knew what was going on outside!"

"I wish we could get outside period," Anaxagoras scoffed, obviously disgusted by Finn. Finn shot him a nasty look and the let out a sigh as he sat down on the ground as well.

Meanwhile, outside of Finn's body, Snipe moved to leave the infirmary in order to warn Advent of the intruder's presence, completely oblivious to the small note that Finn was now clutching in his hands. He rushed down the hallway and towards the elevator platform to the flight deck, unaware that Meno was still onboard. She watched him from within the shadows, but made no attempt to stop him. Rather, she slithered through the darkness into the women's residential wing, phasing through the walls of the rooms until she was certain she reached Doctor Constantine's. She leapt from the shadows and began to tear through the Doctor's belongings.

Meno found a whole lot of nothing. Mainly medical journals and articles, diagrams, and charts. Meno let out a grumble of frustration as she began turning over shelves and drawers, still finding nothing that might relate the doctor to Finn. She moved to leave the room, when she tripped over a drawer she had carelessly tossed on to the floor. Something inside of it caught her eye. She saw something golden, peeking out from underneath a shirt of the Doctor's. Meno pulled what appeared to be a golden lockbox from the now empty drawer. Meno ripped the lock off of the hinges and gently pulled the lid of the ornate box off. Inside was a collection of papers and photographs, some looking rather old. She didn't know why, but she was sure that this was the item she was looking for. Without stopping to examine each item, Meno closed the box and faded back into the shadows, returning to the obsidian sanctum.

* * *

"We're landing on Saharr in two minuets!" Aida commanded as the twilight knights rushed to the hangar bay.

"I want Aru and Jean to stay behind!" Advent stated, casually walking towards the hangar bay, "Everyone else, prepare your fighters and ready your weapons!"

"Hey Sora!" Piper chimed as the young girl rushed to the hangar bay behind Aerrow. Something bounced out of her satchel and landed before Piper's feet. Piper picked up the small parcel and handed it to Sora, "You dropped this."

"That's not mine," Sora replied flatly, shaking her head as Piper extended the item out towards her. Piper raised an eyebrow, then took Sora's hand and placed it within her palm, and then gave her a smile.

"It fell out of your pack," Piper smiled, "You must have just forgotten about it!" She added before rushing down to the hangar bay. Sora looked quizzically at the item and opened the package revealing a small murky green stone wrapped in what appeared to be a letter. She placed the green stone in the pocket of her robes and looked down at the letter. It read in silver script:

_Sora, I was quite impressed by your skills as a scientist back on terra wallop. I believe you can put this stone to use better than I can. When the time is right, you'll know when to use it._

_-Sincerely_

_A friend…_

Sora shrugged as she folded up the letter and stuffed it back into her satchel. She assumed it was another crystal from Advent, and therefore did not read too much into the mysterious stone. She then descended the platform in the flight deck, into the hangar bay, where everyone was mounting their rides. Ace stood at the end of the opened hatch, the four deep scars still showing quite predominately across his face. There was a great horned owl perched on his arm and he gently lifted his arm into the air as the bird took off into the sky. Aerrow followed after the owl, followed by Advent and a few others.

"Doctor Constantine!" Nikolai shouted, mounting his massive ride, "You're riding with me!"

"I can't do that," Constantine declined, shaking her head, "I need to tend to the-"

"It's non-negotiable Doctor," Nikolai stated calmly, "We need you in the event something goes wrong." Constantine nodded reluctantly, heading towards Nikolai from across the hangar bay.

Once all of the other knights were mounted, a brigade of skimmers took off into the air and began to fly towards the barren, orange terra below them. Most of them were relieved to see that the skies were clear and there was no sign of snow.

"Would you like to handle the negotiations Aerrow?" Advent asked with a slight smile, "After all, if you're going to be taking over one day…you may as well get the practice."

"I thought you'd never ask," Aerrow replied, giving her an arrogant little smile. Their skimmers touched down on the ground, followed by the rest of the regiment's. Aerrow and Advent stepped off of their rides and looked around the marketplace of Saharr, and something was indeed wrong. It seemed as though all of the people that were usually bustling throughout the makeshift city, were gone.

"Sometin be very wrong here," Leto whispered unsheathing his scimitars.

"You aren't kidding…" Aida replied in a whisper, pulling a stiletto from the pouch strapped to his leg. Piper and Cyclonis stood back to back with their staves in hand, looking about the quiet area, while Ravess kept behind them, clutching her bow and with an arrow ready to fire.

"Ah…" Cypress smiled, stepping towards the group. As it would have appeared, she was alone, but of course this was Cypress, and she always did have something up her sleeve, "I thought you weren't going to show…"

"Not on your life…" Aerrow replied, taking a few steps towards her, "We had a deal…where are Cyrus and the captain!"

"Right here," Cypress smiled, as Meno retrained Cyrus, and several night crawler sentries restrained Captain Scabulous. Advent gestured for Aerrow to hand her the crystal, and he took the reddish stone in his hands.

"Damn it Advent…" Cyrus hissed, praying that Cypress wouldn't lay a hand on the item. Cyrus then thrust the sharp heel of her boot into Meno's instep, causing her to let out a slight shout as she loosened her grip on Cyrus. Cyrus seized the opportunity, throwing her elbow into Meno's stomach, and then throwing her fist into her face. Cyrus then seized Meno by the elbows and threw her into Cypress, causing both of them to fall to the ground. Captain Scabulous seized the opportunity as well, and used his massive strength to pull the two night crawlers off of him, and throwing them both to the ground.

"Doppelgangers!" Cypress growled, rising up off of the ground, "Attack!"

It was then when the shadows of the twilight knights began to rise off of the ground and take the shape of the knight they stood before, becoming dark hazy reflections of themselves. Immediately, the shadowy doubles began attacking their respective doubles. This proved to be quite difficult, seeing as how Advent (who lacked an arm) was now fighting against her shadowy double, and her shadowy sister who seemed more determined than ever to finish her sister's existence. Meno looked around the fray, searching for Doctor Constantine, but rather, her eyes fell upon Snipe. An evil smile crept across her face, as she thought of Nova's face once she realized that she had killed her lover. Meno removed two green glowing daggers from the sheathes at her sides and rushed towards him, but before she could get close, the ground below her began to glow red.

"What is this!" Meno exclaimed, as the ground below her began to crack. It was then when she felt a fist land in her face, and Skyler landed upon the stable ground before her, her arms pulsing with red energy as a bright red crystal around her neck glowed in sync with her.

"Traitor," Meno hissed, rising from the sundered ground. Skyler said nothing, she merely touched the ground where Meno was just about to step, and quickly dashed away from it. Once Meno's foot touched the ground, a bright red explosion went off, throwing Meno ten feet into the air. It was then when the wind began to whip through the fray violently, kicking up the orange sand of Saharr, and making the fight ten times more difficult. This was no one's particular doing though. Sandstorms were quite common on Saharr, this just happened to be a case of very bad timing.

Meanwhile, Sora was fairing quite well against her doppelganger, despite being constantly buffeted by the sandstorm. She was clutching a purple crystal, and was sending beams of pale violet light through the body of her shadowy opposite, blowing large holes through its body (which instantly resealed) but slowed down the creature none the less. She thought for a moment that she had the creature beat, when a voice began to resound in her head.

_Use the stone Sora…_ It whispered over and over again. Sora pulled the small, murky green stone from her pocket, and gripped it in between her thumb and index finger as she held it out before her doppelganger and activated one of the runes on her glove. Piper, caught in a fray with her own doppelganger managed to catch what Sora was doing out of the corner of her eyes. Her pupils dilated and her heart nearly stopped once she saw the small green stone.

"SORA NO!" Piper screamed, pushing her double to the ground as she rushed to try and stop Sora from using the stone. But it was too late.

The stone exploded in Sora's hand, becoming a thick greenish vapor that dispersed throughout the entire battlefield. The doppelgangers disappeared, however the Twilight Knights and even Meno and Cypress began to cough and collapse once they inhaled the vapors.

"C-come Meno!" Cypress coughed, with a dark smile across her face, "I feel this is an appropriate time for us to leave!" Two black vortexes appeared before the two women, in which they retreated in, but the twilight knights were left behind, barely able to breathe.

"W-what is this!" Aerrow cried, gripping his neck and practically choking on the air. Advent feebly rose to her feet as she weakly looked around the area.

"Someone must have used a plague stone!" Advent coughed, feeling as though she was about to faint. She then noticed most of the knights falling to their knees and falling unconscious. She then watched as Aerrow fell to his knees, gripping his chest and coughing uncontrollably.

It was then, when he and the nine other knights (including Finn) heard the sounds of the tuning fork once again. Aerrow was almost unconscious when the only thought on his mind was: I wish that damn tuning fork would stop ringing in my ear…

However, his eyes began to drift shut, but rather than seeing blackness, he saw white light, and the suffocating stench and green gas was now gone. He thought he was dead, but he didn't feel dead. Rather, he lifted his head off of the ground, looking around a large blindingly white marble room. The eight other unique knights were there as well (even Finn), passed out upon the floor of the strange room. Advent was there also. However she was kneeling down before another unfamiliar figure who was smiling down at them all.

She was the tallest woman Aerrow had ever seen. Her eyes were crystalline and shimmered like one hundred thousand suns. Her skin glowed and was as pale as snow, along with her white hair that cascaded effortlessly around her face and down to the floor. There were two large pristine white wings protruding from her back, and her body was wrapped in a glistening silk robe. Over all, her presence was ethereal and inhuman.

"Good to see you Aerrow," She smiled. Her voice sent shivers down his spine and he replied by kneeling before her. He instantly knew who this woman was for he had seen (what they now knew to be completely inaccurate) paintings and pictures of her before, "And you too, Advent, my dearest child."

"I do not deserve to be in your presence," Advent replied humbly. The ethereal being said nothing in response. She merely smiled down at Advent and then to Aerrow.


	23. Chapter 22: Yseronde and the Old Gods

**[Message from KC]**: Huzzah! Another update. Same as always. The poll, it's on my profile, if you vote on it…it will indeed help me to decide some of the outcome of the story (yes! Some of the possible ending is in your hands :O) Anyway! So yeah, go do that. And ya know, reviews are always appreciated (I respond to every one I get so there's that to put into consideration too)! Also, how many people out there have a deviantart account? If so could you please tell me, or go to my profile page (my deviantart account name is on my profile) and from there add me to your watchers list. I am thinking of running a contest, but I won't put one up on DA if I know that no one will go for it. So if you're interested, please PM me! **ALSO ALSO ALSO! **We have 10 chapters to go before this book is done (volume one that is!) Woohoo! So it is safe to say that we are reaching the climax of this story! Yipee!

[Okay and to clarify]: Leto (the troll) is named after the terra God Leto. In troll culture (which I completely fabricated myself *coughcough*noyoudidn't*coughcough* SHUT UP I DID!), his name is a way of honoring the God. Also, Advent has spoken infrequently about Jevanni. Note, we are about to meet her! This chapter is all about Gods! But this is probably the most we are ever going to see of them at one time :/

Chapter XXII.

Yseronde and the Old Gods

"Are…" Aerrow began, looking around the white hall, "Are we dead?" He asked, surprisingly calmly as he looked into the ethereal figure's face.

"Of course not," She smiled taking a few steps towards him and Advent, "I merely pulled you from a most horrid fate. Had it not been for me, you might have died though…"

"With all due respect ma'am…" Aerrow began, staring her directly in the eye. Advent shot him a dark look. Obviously addressing this woman and having the audacity to look her in the eye was immense enough to even send a woman like Advent into a state of fear. And yet, the woman just smiled at him and gestured him to continue, "Are…are you who I think you are?"

"I am the alpha and the omega," She stated airily, looking off into the distance, "I am the shaper of worlds. I am the be all…end all. I am the unmoved mover and the unseen seer. I am the mother of the mighty oceans and the humble caves." She concluded turning to give Aerrow a clever little smile, "Do you give up yet?" She laughed playfully, "I'll give you another hint…the name you Atmosians know me as _Yseronde_." Aerrow's heart skipped a beat as he immediately kneeled down before her and bowed his head, "neither of you need to bow before me." Yseronde gestured, lifting both of their chins up so she could look them both in the eyes, "It has come to my attention that one of my instruments is…out of tune…" She sighed, turning to Finn, who lay unconscious upon the ground with the others, "let's fix that shall we…"

The Goddess reached into her robes and pulled out a clear, glass like object. Both Aerrow and Advent looked curiously at the object and noted that it was a tuning fork. Yseronde gently tapped it on the wall beside her, and a light sound filled the air. The tuning fork glowed a pale blue, along with the bodies of the other knights laying down upon the floor. Their eyes then opened as they lifted themselves off of the ground, all except for Finn. Two small pale white spheres gently drifted out of his mouth, and floated into the air, and out of the room. It was then, Finn's eyes began to open, and he looked around the white hall in a confused panic.

"I'm awake!" He shouted, looking around frantically, "I'm awake! Chika-Cha baby! Take that Cypress-" He continued to shout triumphantly, until he got a good look at his surroundings, "Wait…where the heck are we?"

"So wait…" Aerrow asked, as Yseronde turned to him with a slight smile, "That tuning fork…in your hands…that noise was coming from you?"

"Indeed," Yseronde replied with a light smile as her nine knights stepped up behind Aerrow, "Tuning forks are such curious little things, and they make such a delightful sound." She smiled, striking it against the wall beside her, and filling the room with the light sound, "You see…I created the far side of Atmos many millennia ago. My horrid brother, Dar'Khan, had a nasty habit of making the most awful creatures and sending them unto the world I had created. So I decided to lock him and his creatures away behind the door to the far side. I knew though, that in the even he or his power were to ever be released from the far side, I would need someone to put them back. So, I chose the nine of you to act as my instruments in throwing my brother and his creatures back to where they belong." She smiled, turning to each of the nine knights, "I knew from the moment you were all born that you would do great things."

"I still don't quite understand," The Dark Ace asked, stepping forward, "Why send the sound to us in the first place?"

"Well it all had to do with you," Yseronde replied promptly, "You see, when she tried to make the attempt, she could only obtain half of your soul…therefore supplementing the rest of your soul with her own. Now…I didn't choose Advent as one of my instruments…I chose you. I just had to make sure that Advent's soul didn't entirely corrupt yours. So I decided to attune all of your souls, to my special little device. I knew that if all of you could hear it, I knew all of my instruments were tuned and working properly." She concluded, giving him a slight smile and a wink, "Not to mention after that horrid fallen Valkyrie, Cypress, stole the my crystal that kept my control over you, I needed another method of keeping you all in check."

"Something else I don't understand," Aerrow asked, looking to Yseronde, "You're all powerful! You're a Goddess after all! Why not just use your powers to kill Cypress yourself?"

"Alas…" Yseronde sighed, looking off into space again, "There is a power that is even higher than me, and a power higher than that, and so on. I made a sacred vow that I would never harm a living creature…good or evil."

"So you're a coward!" The Dark Ace exclaimed (letting his old self show again), "You can't do, so you send others to do your work for you!"

"Anteres!" Advent shouted, turning to look at him, "Hold your tongue and apologize!"

"It's quite alright," Yseronde replied with a slight smile, "I shall disregard this impertinence once…" She added, turning to the pedestal behind her, "Now…I have something for all of you." She stated, taking a silver box in her hands and turning back to the nine teens. She opened the box and revealed nine silver necklace chains. At the end of which, was a small clear, glowing stone. She gently placed one of each around the necks of the teens and took a step back, closing the box, "These crystals are called the tears of a goddess…the only nine crystals of their kind in existence. Forged by my son, Leto the terra god, there is no crystal more powerful, and they will amplify your powers unimaginably."

"Woah," Piper whispered, twirling the small stone in between her fingers. She and Cyclonis then exchanged looks, probably thinking the same thing (I.e. what they could do with a crystal this powerful in their possession).

"It is very important that you never lose these crystals," Yseronde stated direly, "If these fell into the hands of Cypress and her army…the results could be disastrous!" The all nodded in agreement, either tightening the chain around their neck, or tucking the necklace under their shirts.

"Is Leto here by chance?" Advent then asked, still keeping her head bowed before Yseronde. The Goddess smiled at her, and lifted her chin up too look her in the eyes, "Unfortunately I have another favor to ask of him."

"You require another Aurora stone?" Yseronde asked, looking a little disappointed at Advent, "I must say…he was not at all pleased when he discovered that you had given one of the last two he forged for you to your horrid sister. None the less…if that is what you require, I shall send one of my knights to retrieve them for me. She turned to Aerrow, Finn, Junko, and Stork and smiled at them, "If you touch the orb sitting on the pedestal at the end of the hall on the left side, you'll enter my son's hall…go to him, and ask him for the stones." The nodded accordingly, a little unnerved and frightened by encountering _another _God.

"Now, you're going to need to heal the remaining knights," Yseronde stated, turning to her four female knights, "The way I see it, is Valkyrie tears would do the job best…My daughter," She continued, turning to look at Advent, "And your mother…would definitely have more than enough for you. Go and place your hands upon the orb at the right side of the hall, and you shall be transported to Jevanni's domain."

"Thank you," Cyclonis replied with a bow, as the other women bowed before her and they headed down the hallway. Advent, The Dark Ace, and the Goddess, were then alone, standing within her hall.

"I believe there has been something ailing you for quite some time now," Yseronde began, turning to Ace. She looked down at his arm.

"There's nothing wrong with my arm…" He began, turning his head away from her. Yseronde smiled as she placed her hands on his shoulder.

"Of course there's nothing wrong with it…except for the fact that it isn't _your _arm." She stated, as his right arm began to glow, even from under his uniform. There was an odd numbing sensation that sent shivers up his spine after she removed her hand. After a few moments, the glowing stopped, and he regained feeling. He unbuttoned the collar of his uniform and gently pulled off part of his right sleeve. He looked down with some confusion, and amazement to see that his right arm was back to normal. There was no scar at the socket that separated his body from Advent's arm, and his skin was all the same tone.

"Now," She smiled, turning to Advent, "How would you like to get your's back?"

* * *

"Who dares step into my hall!" The voice boomed, resonating through the towering sandstone chamber. Mounted upon the walls of the circular room was a crystal of every shape and size imaginable, underneath was a small golden plaque, explaining what they all were. There were hundreds, maybe even thousands. The boys had never seen so many crystals in their entire life (and surely, had Piper been here, she would have went into cardiac arrest). In the center of the room was a large throne, carved from marble, upon which was sitting what appeared to be a massive stone sculpture of a man. He was old, with a long flowing beard that stretched down to his chest. His eyes were blank and seemed to stare off into space, as though taunting mortals by looking into the face of something they could not see. The statue adorned robes crafted from green silk and gold trimmings, and upon the statue's bald head was a crown forged from precious metals, "I have commanded you to speak!" The lustrous voice boomed once again. The boys looked around, searching for the source of the voice. But to their surprise, the statue sitting upon the throne, rose it its feet, towering nearly fifty feet above them. None of them knew what to do. They felt as though they should have bowed, but the presence of the moving statue was so awe inspiring, they couldn't move or speak.

"Excuse me," Aerrow asked, taking a step towards the massive moving statue, "But my name is Aerrow…I was sent here by-"

"I know who you are! And I know why you're here!" The voice boomed, as if dismissing Aerrow. Aerrow looked curiously to the Finn, Junko, and Stork, who shrugged in confusion.

"Then why did you ask us?" Aerrow inquired, raising an eyebrow at the statue.

"You must properly address yourself when in the presence of a god!" The statue replied promptly, as it sat back down in the stone throne, looking at the four boys, "One does not just barge into the hall of Leto the terra God, unannounced!"

"Forgive us…" Aerrow replied, "But we're in need of-"

"I know what you are _in need of_!" Leto interrupted.

"Stop that!" Aerrow snapped, furrowing his brow and thoroughly irritated with being interrupted (God or not, it was just plain rude!).

"You will apologize!" Leto growled, the earth rumbling below him as he did so, "Such impertinent mortals my mother has chosen!"

"Leto…" Yseronde's soft and gentle voice floated into the room, "These are guests in our halls. Treat them with the respect they deserve…"

"Foolish mortals," Leto grumbled, "Your master requires the aurora stones? Correct?" He snapped, turning to the boys. He sighed as he broke off a piece of his stone beard. He crushed the chunk of rock in between his hands and pressed them together, seemingly crushing the stone. He then pulled his hands apart, and lowered his hulking hand down towards the boys. Sitting in the palm of the terra god, one would think that he was just holding on to a shard, but the crystal within his hands was roughly the size of an armchair, "As you have requested…" the God replied disdainfully. Aerrow, Finn, and Stork turned to Junko, and gestured him to retrieve the massive crystal. Junko rolled his eyes and gave them all a smile as he moved to take the crystal boulder from the God's hand.

* * *

Meanwhile, the girls were standing within what appeared to be a library. Shelves of books lined the walls which seemed to stretch up into oblivion. Many a beautiful winged woman fluttered up to the higher levels of the library, collecting piles of books, and searching for references.

"Hello?" Piper asked, her voice echoing throughout the almost silent library. At that moment, all of the winged women turned to the four girls and shushed them.

"Oh!" One of the winged women chimed, fluttering down to the lowest level of the library where the four girls had been standing, "I've been expecting you! Oh! But where are my manners? I am Jevanni, the mother of the Valkyries." She was tall beautiful, and voluptuous with a healthy glowing complexion, and impossibly perfect blonde hair. Her eyes were as blue as the vast oceans if Atmos, and shined just like the Goddess' with a deep knowledge of the world reflecting in them, the likes of which mortals probably couldn't understand. Her wings were a shimmering, silvery gray and their feathers looked like they were constructed of a weightless silk.

"I'm Piper," She replied, bowing her head slightly before the Valkyrie.

"And I'm Sora!" Sora then chimed, bouncing in front of Piper, holding her hand out in front of her. Jevanni giggled slightly and placed her hand on Sora's head, tussling her hair slightly as she took the girl's hand and shook it accordingly.

"It's a pleasure," Jevanni replied with a sweet smile, "And you two must be Cloud and Cyclonis! My goodness how you look like my daughter!"

"Advent is a Valkyrie?" Cyclonis asked curiously, feeling a little awestruck, and hurt at the same time, "I wonder why she never told me…"

"She was always the most reclusive of my daughters," Jevanni replied with a slight sigh, "Tell me, how does Nova get along?"

"You know Nova?" Sora asked with a smile as she stood before the Valkyrie. Jevanni smiled down at her once again.

"Nova happens to be one of my children too," She replied, "I am surprised that you never knew that about them."

"Well you're right about both of them being reclusive…" Cloud sighed, shaking her head slightly, "Neither of them like letting others in."

"It's such a shame too," Jevanni replied with an airy sigh, "Both of them were such sweet children…it's a shame that they live such complicated and secretive lives amongst the mortals…but listen to me! I shouldn't be burdening you girls with such talk! You've come for the tears? Have you not?"

"Yes," Piper nodded, "There was an incident…" She began, casually glancing towards Sora, who looked down at the floor, "Involving a plague stone…"

"We need to heal the other Twilight Knights," Cloud added, "And Valkyrie tears happen to be the strongest stuff around." Jevanni smiled as she extended her arms out towards them. None of them had noticed that she had been holding on to a crystalline carafe, full of a pale blue glowing liquid.

"I've seen your healing powers in action," Jevanni smiled, handing the carafe to Cloud, "This should be all you'll need to cure your squadron of the plague."

"Thank you," Cloud smiled, bowing her head before her.

"So what's in all these books?" Sora asked, looking up at the endless ceiling of the library. Jevanni let out a contented sigh as she stared up into the ceiling as well.

"Valkyries love knowledge more than anything," Jevanni stated, "In these books contains all of the knowledge of the universe…the history, the physics, and the answers to every question you could ever think to ask."

"Woah," Sora gasped, thinking of all the questions she wanted answers to.

"Perhaps one day I will find you ladies here," Jevanni stated with a smile, "And you might find the answers to all of life's mysteries…Now! You should be off! I'd hate for you to loose anyone in your squadron because of idle chit-chat! But to leave you girls with a little something…" Jevanni began with a mischievous smile. She turned first to Sora, "I will see you back here very, very soon…but as a young woman…not a girl." She then directed her attention to Cloud, "I understand that when a Druid selects a mate, that they mate for eternity…You choose wisely, and they two of you will be very happy, although your initial choice will be quite difficult." She looked to Piper and then placed a hand on her shoulders, "You will receive an honor from the Sky Knight council and will govern Atmosia, but it will not be for several years." She then looked to Cyclonis and smiled, "The two of you will be together…you will go through many trials, but you will marry him despite his rank. Now! Off with you!" Jevanni chirped, "I have much to attend to!"

* * *

"This…" Cypress began, placing her hand upon the lid of the golden box Meno had stolen from the Doctor, "Is an item from Feudal Atmos…" Cypress stated, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry?" Meno inquired, looking to her master, "But I've never heard of Feudal Atmos?"

"It's a collection of terras several hundreds of miles away from the mainland terras," Cypress stated, directing Meno to the atmosian map carved into the floor of her throne room. She walked to the farthest end of the map, right before Atmos broke off into the seemingly endless expanse, distancing them from the Far-Side. There was in fact a terra there. Seven to be precise. Six quite small terras surrounded one significantly large one, "Heissigaurt…" Cypress sighed, crossing her arms, "Or otherwise known as Feudal Atmos and otherwise known as the terra that refuses to grow up. They severed their alliance with Atmosia about twenty years ago for refusal to secure their own sky knight squadron. Much like the terra Klokstoppia, they don't use crystal technology…and they take a more biblical approach to governing their terra."

"So you're saying the Doctor is from Feudal Atmos?" Meno inquired, looking down at the small collection of terras.

"It is possible," Cypress replied darkly, staring down at the floor map, "I shall investigate the contents later…" She began, handing the box back to Meno, "But I have a more pressing matter to attend to…"

"What would that be Master?" She asked as Cypress headed back towards her throne, upon which sat her glowing reliquary.

"Ever since Skyler betrayed us because of her foolish morals, and mortal sentimentality," Cypress sighed, as though disappointed in morality, "We are in need of a new and competent lieutenant…and it happens I know just where to find one."

"Pardon me Master," Meno began, her voice inflicted with some jealousy, "But why bring another into our alliance…now that Anaxagoras is gone, we've been more successful. Another lieutenant would just drag us down."

"Oh I know," Cypress smiled pulling something from her robes, "But in truth, he'll act as more of a pawn…" She continued as a small, slightly glowing black sphere floated above her palm, "I found this delightful little object during my time in the Far-Side. I'd like to find some foolish and unsuspecting soul to unleash its power on to give my silly sister a taste of what's waiting for her in my domain…"

"Who did you have in mind?" Meno smiled darkly, looking at the back orb.

"It's a surprise," Cypress smiled wickedly as a black vortex appeared behind her, "But I'll give you a hint…he resides in a lovely place called the Atmosia Stockades…" She concluded, before stepping through the dark portal. Once her master was gone, Meno turned her attention to the box. She pulled the lid open, and the first thing she saw inside was a slightly burned picture. It was a woman, holding on to a small boy. The woman's face was cut off, for the first half of the picture was charred, but she looked down at the child. He was blonde with blue eyes, and maybe no older than two. She went to examine the photo further, but then a bright flash of white light burst through the room, causing her to drop the box to the floor. She looked up once the light disappeared and saw Anaxagoras lying barely conscious upon the floor. Meno snarled with disdain as she looked upon him (secretly hoping he would be gone for good).

"W-where is Cypress!" he demanded, pulling himself up off of the ground, "I have…something important…to tell her…"

"She's gone away…" Meno replied haughtily, beginning to place the scattered contents of the box back where they belong, "To find a replacement for…" Meno paused. She thought for a moment, and then a nasty little smile made its way across her lips, "She's gone to find a replacement for you…" Meno stated.

"What!" Anaxagoras exclaimed, rising off of the ground, "How could she! After all I've done for that wretch!"

"Oh trust me," Meno replied sarcastically, "She has the utmost respect for you…it's just that we all thought you were lost forever…try not to take it personally." Meno smiled, taking the box and leaving the throne room.

* * *

Meanwhile, Aru, Innes, and Doctor Constantine (along with Sherekan and Radaar) managed to round up all of the infected Twilight Knights on to the Tempest II in order to be healed. However, the Doctor herself was infected, and could do nothing but sit idly by and hope for a miracle. Innes and Aru lied down each infected Knight down on the floor of the hangar bay, as so they didn't exhaust each knight. Aru looked in despair as she began placing cold towels on the foreheads of each knight.

"A-aru…" Leto coughed, as she came to the now green troll, "I-I got sometin' to tell ya…I…I…"

"Shh!" Aru replied brushing her pale hands through his matted red hair, "Don't waste your strength! Advent will be back soon and she'll save us like she always does…"

"Aru," Ravess began, sitting up as so all of the Knight could see, "I…don't think…Advent is…coming back!"

"Don't say that!" Cyrus snapped, weakened by being under Cypress' capture, and now being infected with plague, "Advent will return! I just know she will!"

"They have to come back!" Radaar whimpered, looking in despair towards Innes, "They just have to! Right?"

"All we can do is hope for now…" Sherekan replied, his regrettably large ears drooping in sadness.

"Save it you guys…" Aida replied quietly and a little darkly, gasping for air, "She disappeared…along with the nine guardians…it's clear that whatever higher power thinks that they're more important than us…" Aida gasped, laying back down as his skin gradually faded into the sickliest green color.

"Aida!" Innes cried, rushing to his side, "Don't exacerbate yourself!"

"Innes…" Aida gasped, looking up at him weakly, "Come…closer…" Innes leaned towards him, looking towards Aida with sadness in his eyes. Then, with what strength he had left, he kissed Innes on the lips, and flopped back down on the ground, "I've wanted to do that…for the _longest_…time now…" Aida gasped, with a slight smile on his face just before he lost consciousness.

"No!" Innes exclaimed, holding Aida in his arms.

"I need…" Doctor Constantine gasped, rising up from the ground (although she looked the worst out of all of them, "To…help…the…others!"

"Doctor…" Starling gasped, turning to Constantine, "No…we'll be fine…you need rest…more than we do…"

"Nonsense!" Constantine snapped, feebly rising to her feet, "I'm…a doctor! I help people…It's my job!"

"No…need…" A voice wheezed. Those who had the strength, or were still awake, turned to look at the body that belonged to the voice. It was a strange, tall creature dressed head to toe in black robes, wearing a metal mask with a large beak that resembled a bird's. It's claw like hands reached into its robes and pulled out a small phial, inside of which was a milky grey liquid. Constantine recognized this creature from the fog on terra wallop, but she also knew what he was.

"You're…" Constantine began, "A Plague Doctor…aren't you?" The creature merely nodded as it lumbered over to Innes and Aida. Innes looked cautiously at the creature as it kneeled down beside them. Innes let out a small gasp as he held on tighter to Aida the closer the creature leaned in.

"I…will…help…him…" The creature wheezed, leaning over Aida. Innes nodded and gently lied Aida back down on the ground. The plague doctor held the phial against Aida's forehead, and leaned over him, covering his body with his black robes. A golden light then began to shine from underneath the black fabrics, and when the Plague Doctor pulled away, Aida looked healthy and normal once again. His magenta eyes opened weakly as he looked around the room, first to Innes, and then to the Plague Doctor.

"That was amazing!" Innes gasped, as he wrapped his arms around Aida's neck. The Plague Doctor nodded as he rose to his feet and began to lumber towards Doctor Constantine. She didn't look at all happy with the creature.

"Let…me…help," The creature wheezed. Constantine nodded reluctantly. He pulled out another vial of murky liquid and pointed to it with his claw-like hands, "Only…five…left…"

"Then we'll make them count," Constantine nodded.

"No need!" They heard a voice shout just as a white light flashed throughout the hangar bay. Indeed, Advent had returned, with the nine guardians, including the newly awakened Finn, and Nova.

"Did someone call for a cure?" Cloud rallied with a smile as she held the glowing carafe up for the other twilight knights to see.

"Oh I just knew they'd come back!" Radaar chirped as he jumped on to Aerrow's shoulders (Sherekan doing the same for Sora).

"Advent!" Cyrus then exclaimed, looking to her leader, "Y-your arm! It's back! But how!"

"Oh have we got a story for you…" The Dark Ace smiled as Junko dropped the massive Aurora stone down beside him.

* * *

[End Chapter Notes]: Yay everyone is cured, and limbs have been returned, and people have been released from any psychological entrapment, and it's just a general mushy gushy happy ending chapter -_- Okay no but seriously it's not gonna be happy for much longer XD I actually am putting this end chapter note in just because I want you guys to keep Heissigaurt/Feudal Atmos in your minds. It is really really significant to Finn's, Doctor Constantine's, Aerrow's, Lightning Strike's, The original Storm Hawks', and (just a little bit of) The Dark Ace's storylines (but mostly Finn and Constantine's). I just have to say, I have a few of the chapters that take place on Feudal Atmos already typed up, and written out and Finn's and Constantine's storyline is just totally and brilliantly fucked for lack of a better word XD. I'm not trying to pick on Finn or anything (because I like Finn, I'm not really a 'Finn Fangirl' seeing as how I am obsessed with the Dark Ace (Too Much Info Kingdom Come!) but Finn is growing on me quite a bit, and it's a good storyline don't get me wrong) but it just gets deliciously twisted. So a little something more to look forward to in the future :P


	24. Chapter 23: The House of Waiting Family

[Message from Kingdom Come]: The POLL on my PROFILE...go VOTE on it m'kay! Okay so here's the next chapter. First, I'm sorry if some of this chapter has an 'angry' vibe to it, but I was super pissed off when I wrote it! Second, I am so sorry that it took so long to update. UBER writer's block just freaking hit me 8( Anyway, guess what you guys…SEX! No, I didn't just type that in all caps for no apparent reason. Yes for the first time in the story…sex is going to happen. Anyway, I'm also really sorry, but this is another super long chapter -3- And again, I am really sorry, this happens to be another 'woe-is-me' Ace chapter (but there is some other character development in it too :x). But here's the deal-e-o! There was a LOT of stuff I wanted to include in other chapters, but just got so caught up with all the fighting and stuff, and bla,bla,bla that I left out a lot of things, and I am also sorry to say that this chapter (The House of Waiting Family) is divided into two parts…again I am sorry.

Also, just so no one is confused, Constantine's name isn't really Constantine, it's her last name. There are quite a few characters who are actually addressed by their last names (like the Doctor). I.e. Nova's first name is actually Tarja, Jynx's first name is Alveida, and Constantine's first name is Lenora.

* * *

"So," Cypress began, walking into a dark library where she found Meno, carefully examining every item inside of the box stolen from the Doctor. Of the items, in which she had carefully laid out upon the table, was the burnt photo, several dozen letters, a few official looking documents, a ring, a necklace, a lock of blonde hair, and a small canvas painting, "What have you discovered so far?" She inquired, placing her hand on Meno's shoulder.

"I'm not sure…" Meno began, "There's fourteen letters to the Doctor from a woman named Robin…which, as stated in the letters, this woman was the doctor's sister."

"Was?" Cypress asked curiously, "So…she is-"

"Dead," Meno nodded, "According to the letters, she had a rare neurological disease that the Doctor was trying to find a cure for…although without the letters to Robin from the Doctor, I can't be certain if that's what took her life."

"Curious," Cypress stated flatly, lifting up one of the letters and closely examining it. Meno then gently took the letter from her master, which Cypress did not appreciate at all. Meno then smiled at her and handed her the last of the letters.

"I believe, you'll find this one to be a little more curios," Meno smiled, pointing to the letter. Cypress began to read over it accordingly and a dark smile crept across her lips, and she began to read aloud.

"Dearest Constantine," Cypress began, "I am afraid that with the final battle nearing with my squadron-"

"I forgot to mention that," Meno interrupted, "Evidently she was also a part of a sky knight squadron, although she never mentioned which one."

"Hmm…" Cypress thought quizzically for a moment, and then continued to read the letter aloud, "My days may be nearing their end, not to mention my condition is getting worse. My son is quite young and will need looking after if I come to an early end. I have enclosed with this letter my last will and testament in the event that my life comes to its end. I have named you as my son's guardian. If I die before I can write to you again, I will leave you with this: My only other request from you is that you keep my son away from the Holy Terra of Heissigaurt for his entire life. I never want him to know of his birthright…It would be best for our parents to believe that he died along with me." Cypress concluded, looking up from the letter, "That is indeed curious…Have you opened any of the documents?" Cypress asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I've been waiting for you," Meno stated flatly. She lifted the first of the documents off of the table. A golden wax seal kept the document closed the paper tight. Cypress took the document from Meno and slid her finger under the seal, as the paper unfolded. Her eyes looked over the document and a look of shock came over her face. She then took the next document, unsealed it, and read it over, followed by the next. She then dropped the documents down upon the table, slamming her hands down over them at the same time.

"Did you by chance," Cypress began, hanging her head over the table, "Know why the Holy Terra of Heissigaurt split from Atmos, thus earning them the title of Feudal Atmos?"

"They refused to secure their own Sky Knight squadron," Meno replied, trying to get a good look at the documents.

"It wasn't only that," Cypress stated darkly, "But it was also that they lost the next successors to the throne. Feudal Atmos was also named so because they refused to drop the monarchy…the princess who was next to inherit the throne just left, taking her only son with her…granted that he was a bastard child, but given that he was the only male of royal blood left, they didn't care."

"But they both disappeared?" Meno inquired, "Why would that cause Feudal Atmos to split?"

"Because once the successors were gone," Cypress stated, not looking away from the documents, "The Sky Knight Council pushed for them to switch to a democracy, thus offending the reigning monarchs…Meno…do you know what these documents are?"

"No," Meno replied shaking her head. Cypress then gently pushed the documents towards her. The first, was a deed to the terra and the surrounding colonies of Heissigaurt. The second, was a genealogy, recording the entire royal family of Feudal Atmos. And the last of the documents, was a birth certificate. Cypress then gestured her to the genealogy.

"Look," Cypress commanded, "Desdemona and Heron Constantine…the current monarchs of Feudal Atmos. If this genealogy is accurate, it says that they had two daughters. The first of them was a woman named Robin, the second was named Lenora…or in other words-"

"The Doctor!" Meno exclaimed, taking a closer look at the genealogy, "But according to this, the Doctor died at the age of twenty-two!"

"It must have been written into the genealogy when the Doctor went to join my sister," Cypress stated sinisterly, "Have you ever heard the term _You're dead to me_?" Cypress inquired. In response, Meno nodded, "It looks to me like the royal family took this to the extreme…"

"However," Meno began, investigating the genealogy, "it looks to me, that Robin was also expunged from the royal family too…"

"But look underneath," Cypress stated, gesturing her to look at the document. Meno looked down to in, and began examining the paper curiously, "It says that even though Robin was considered to be dead by the family…she did bear a son…"

"And his name is…" Cypress commanded, handing the Meno the birth certificate. Her eyes grew wide as she looked at the paper.

"Master!" Meno gasped, rising to her feet, "W-what on earth should we do!"

"Destroy the documents," Cypress stated darkly, "Destroy the whole damn box! If the Holy terras of Feudal Atmos find that their heir is still alive, it could re-unite them with the mainland…and the Twilight Knights!" Cypress stated darkly, "Which is something we need to avoid!"

"Master Cypress," Meno exclaimed, following after her master as she began to storm out of the room, "Wait I-"

"Silence Meno!" Cypress exclaimed, turning around to face her, "This is the last I want to hear of this! Burn everything you have found in that box!" She commanded, stepping out into the hallway of the sanctum, "Finn is never to know that he is the lost heir of to the throne of Feudal Atmos! Understood!"

"Yes master," Meno nodded, heading back inside, and towards the box.

* * *

Chapter XXIII.

The House of Waiting Family

"Everyone is cured and on the way to recovery," Cloud stated proudly, walking on to the flight deck, "Jynx is on her way back to terra Anu to finish the training with the Sky Knights, and everything is right as it should be! Although I think a few days without fighting or training would do them all some good."

"You know Cloud is right!" Advent chirped, smiling towards the rest of the group, "And after our ordeal the other day, I think some rest and relaxation would do the nine of you some good as well, and you two Tarja." Advent smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Not Tropica!" Stork exclaimed, looking up from the helm, "Not after what I went through the last time!"

"Well maybe not an uncivilized part of Tropica," Piper smiled nervously, "But there are plenty of resorts that-"

"No need," the Dark Ace interrupted, holding his hand up to Piper, "Why waste the money…I know a place we can go without pay."

"I like the sound of that!" Finn exclaimed, looking up from his magazine.

"Oh that's right!" Cyclonis added, "You're family owns the islands of Dol Donnis, right?"

"Do you think that your parents be okay with the whole squadron just dropping in on them like that?" Aerrow inquired, just trying to be courteous.

"If it would make you feel better," Ace replied haughtily, rolling his eyes, "I will call them!" He sighed, rising to his feet and walking across the flight deck, "Although I am telling you they really aren't going to care." He added, sitting down in front of the radio transmitter.

"So how is your arm feeling Cloud?" Junko then asked, sitting down next to her around the tabletop map of Atmos.

"Quite excellent!" Cloud smiled, looking up to him, "I must admit, it's been difficult trying to fight on a broken arm, but thankfully there was enough of the Valkyrie tear draft left over to heal my ailments."

"So I've never been to Tropica!" Sora chimed, joining everyone else around the table, "What exactly is it like?"

"Totally awesome!" Finn began, leaning back in his chair, "Surf, sun, and sand as far as the eye can see! And you ladies finally get to see the Finnster in action! I'm a beast on the waves." Piper and Cloud looked to one another, rolling their eyes and letting out a slight laugh.

"So…you surf then?" Cyclonis asked, trying to be polite, "I could never do anything like that…I'm just not coordinated enough." She added with a slight laugh.

"I…" Finn began nervously, looking down at the floor, "I could teach you…I mean, if you want."

"I'd like that," She replied with a slight smile. At that moment, Aerrow and Junko looked to one another with confused looks on their faces. However, none of them knew about the kiss, so the interaction between them was a little unexpected.

"Alright," Ace continued into the transmitter, "We'll be there soon…uh-huh…yeah sure! Of course I got your letters…Yes, absolutely. I'll tell him…okay, we should be there before sundown. Alright…I'll see you soon Alinai." He concluded with a slight smile as he hung up the transmitter, "Stork! Set course for Dol Donnis!" Stork turned around to him with a slight smile as he nodded, and began to veer the ship towards Tropica.

"So who was that you were talking to?" Nova inquired as he sat down next to them, "Your mother? You said her name was Alinai."

"My sister," Ace began turning to them, "I have two, Alinai and Aldese. But they're both nineteen…"

"Two sets of twins," Advent began, looking to him, "You all must have been quite the handful as children."

"Geeze," Finn began, rather rudely, "Your mom must be ancient…I mean…you and Aida are old! You're both like…thirty…"

"…Twenty-eight actually," Ace snapped, giving him a dark look from across the table, "But thank you for reminding me of my encroaching age Finn…everyone wants to be reminded of how they're not getting any younger…"

"I can't wait to meet them!" Sora chirped, "And I can't wait to go to tropica! When will we be there!"

"Hopefully by sundown," Advent smiled, "But be patient Sora…good things come to those who wait."

"You know what I just realized," Finn whispered to Junko and Aerrow, "We're about to spend a vacation at the home of the people who _spawned _the Dark Ace…"

"Oh come on," Aerrow replied quietly, laughing slightly, "I'm sure that they can't be _that _bad!"

* * *

"WHY!" Aida exclaimed, as the Twilight Knights descended from the opened hatch and on to the islands of Dol Donnis, "WHY DID YOU BRING ME TO THIS AWFUL PLACE!"

"Don't be such a child!" Ace snapped, practically pushing his brother down the hatch, "I'm sure that father is willing to let bygones be bygones if you can find it in yourself to swallow your pride and forgive him!"

"Have I done some injustice to you!" Aida wailed, completely ignoring Ace, "Have I done something so severe that I deserve such punishment! Are you to be remembered as Cain, and I, Abel!"

"Are you through…" Ace snapped, always knowing Aida to be the more dramatic of the pair.

"Yeah I'm done…" Aida replied flatly, heading down the hatch followed by his brother.

"It won't be that bad," Ace began as they joined the other twilight knights outside of the ship. The rest of the squadron didn't quite know what to say at the sight they saw before them. The large oriental mansion was only one story, but it was quite long, and seemed that the halls of the manor stretched out across the grounds like a perfect symmetrical maze. The manor itself was elevated though. overlooking a large garden out front of the estate, and overlooking the terra. Aida and Ace guided them through the 'yard' and up to the flight of stairs where they saw two figures waiting patiently for them.

The first was an older gentleman of maybe sixty, with long black hair, that was graying at the roots. He was tall and broad, wearing a white and black yukata robe. However, it was apparent that this was their father, for Ace and Aida were the spitting image of him. The other figure however, was a small and lithe woman with long ebony hair, dressed in a pale blue kimono. She was quite beautiful, and looked to be about thirty.

"Dude…" Finn whispered as they approached the steps, "Who's the babe in the kimono? Ace you didn't tell me your sister was so hot!"

"Finn," Ace replied, turning to look at him, slightly disgusted, "That's my mother…" At this, Finn stopped, slightly sickened by the thought of being attracted to Ace's mother.

"Welcome!" The man stated, descending the staircase, and heading toward the large sky knight brigade, "It is my pleasure to be hosting the legendary Twilight Knights! And you must be the esteemed Advent Dawnrunner." He began as he stepped towards Advent, who merely smiled and bowed her head towards him. He took her hand and kissed it, and then bowed before her.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Lord Caylo," Advent smiled, "I have the pleasure of serving alongside both of your sons. I would be lost without both of them."

"Really now," Lord Caylo smiled, turning to both Aida and Ace, who were standing behind her, "I pleases me to hear that Aida is of some use to someone." He stated with a dark smile as he turned away from them and back towards the stairs. Aida clenched his fist and gestured to strike his father, but Ace took a hold of his wrists and mouthed the words: Don't, "Come!" Lord Caylo stated, gesturing to the rest of the knights, "You all must be exhausted!" He stated as the knights followed him up the massive staircase, through the large golden doors, and into the foyer. Inside the house, were two rows of nearly forty servants, awaiting them. Each attendant moved to pick up the knights things.

"The servants shall take you to your rooms," Lady Caylo stated with a slight smile. Her voice was soft and kind, just as a mother's should be. And, as she had stated, each servant had guided each knight to one of the many guest rooms throughout the house, "You and your brother unfortunately will have to share a room though, Anteres my dear," Ace's mother smiled as she placed a hand on his face, "We hadn't expected there to be so many members of the twilight knights!"

"It's quite alright," Ace replied politely. Aida just crossed his arms and let out an indignant scoff as he and Ace headed through the foyer and up to the staircase.

"This place is HUGE!" They heard Junko shout, as the wallop stuck his head out of the door to his room. Finn then stuck his head out of the door of the room next to Junko's.

"I know right!" Finn laughed, listening to his voice echo throughout the hall, "Why would Aida and the Dark Ace ever leave! I mean, there's a killer view of the ocean from my room!"

"Hey guys!" Sora shouted from down the hall, "Do you see how HUGE this place is!" She shouted, skipping through the massive halls.

"Stop YELLING!" Piper shouted, but covering her mouth, and ducking back into her room out of embarrassment once her voice began to bounce off the walls of the hall.

"It brings back memories alright," Ace sighed with a slight smile, stepping into the hall, with Aida in tow. They moved to the largest set of doors at the opposite end of the hallway, and stepped into the room.

"My old room…" Aida sighed, looking around at the still very well kept room. Ace let out a sigh as he moved to the drawer across the room and began placing his clothes inside of it.

"So I'll sleep on the floor then…" Ace sighed, "I mean…it is your room." He began as he then rose to his feet and began to remove the armor from his body.

"Nonsense!" Aida smiled, wrapping his arms around his brother's neck, "We'll switch nights! I get the bed tonight and you can have it tomorrow!"

"That's kind of you Aida," Ace smiled, turning around to face him, "but you're definitely going to need the rest if you hope to get through this vacation with your sanity in tact." Aida just laughed as he sat down on the bed . It was then when they heard a knock on the wall outside of their room. Ace pulled back on the sliding door and saw that one of the servants was standing outside, holding two long wooden boxes in her arms.

"For you sirs," The young handmaiden smiled as Ace took the boxes from her, "Lord Caylo has invited everyone to dine with him and the Lady this evening…he requests that you wear these."

"Thank you," Ace nodded as the handmaiden turned down the hallway. He closed the door behind him and placed one of the boxes down on the bed beside Aida. "Oh no…" He grumbled as he opened the box. He pulled out a silvery gray yukata and looked at the silk garment with disdain, "He wants us to wear these old things!" Ace grumbled.

"Oh I forgot about these," Aida began, taking the lid off of his box to reveal a lovely spring green robe.

"Why do we have to wear these tonight…" Ace sighed, much like a defiant child.

"You know how dad is about tradition," Aida sighed, holding his old yukata up to his body, "I'm just a little worried though…"

"About?" Ace asked stepping into the walk-in closet, and closing the door only slightly. He began to remove the garments of his uniform and began wrapping the silvery yukata around his body.

"About the rest of our squadron!" Aida snapped, removing his uniform, and placing the green robe around his body, "I assume that _all _of us will be attending!"

"All…" Ace began, sticking his head out of the door, "As in…everyone!"

"Yes what other kind of _all _is there?" Aida replied, rolling his eyes slightly.

"This can only end in disaster…" Ace sighed.

* * *

"You have such a lovely home," Piper began, sitting at the extremely long dining table, along with the twenty eight twilight knights, and the rest of the Caylo family. Lord Caylo sat at the head of the table, with Advent and his wife sitting on both sides of him, followed by his two daughters, sitting across from one another, then his sons, followed by Nova and Aerrow, and the rest of the nine guardians, and then everyone else, "And it was so kind of you to take us in at such short notice…" Piper smiled, trying to figure out how to use the chopsticks she was given properly.

"Thank you," Lady Caylo smiled, graciously accepting her compliment, "We are more than happy to be hosting the illustrious Twilight Knights."

"So you must be Piper then?" One of the Caylo daughters asked, curiously. This was Aldese. She was the oldest of the twins and unfortunately for her, the Caylo genes ran strong, so she looked more like her father and brothers than Alinai did (and her short haircut didn't help). Alinai was petit and beautiful, and took after her mother. See, unlike their brothers, the Caylo sisters were fraternal, not identical. However, both girls had dark hair, dark eyes, and tan skin, "They said that you were very polite…and that you happen to like orange headbands."

"Who told you?" Piper asked curiously, with a slight smile.

"Anteres and Aida have told us so much about all of you from their letters," Alinai stated with a smile.

"Yes indeed they have," Lord Caylo stated, placing his elbows on the table as he folded his hands together and rested his chin upon them, "So you must be miss Cloud." He asked, rather interested in her presence, "Anteres tells us that you're a feral person?"

"Father!" Ace exclaimed, looking to him, slightly mortified.

"It's alright," Cloud stated nervously, with a smile, "I'm a druid if that's what you're asking. From Terra Phusis…"

"Hmm," Lord Caylo replied, looking her over, with a slight smile on his face, "He told us of your beauty…but it's something else entirely to see it in person. It's no wonder that he's so enthralled with you." Cloud's face turned a pale shade of pink as she looked down at her lap, avoiding eye contact with everyone at the table.

"Oh my god…" Ace whispered, burying his face in his hands, "Father…_please_…"

"What, All I am saying is that she's quite lovely Anteres," Lord Caylo stated, turning to look at his son, "You're also unmarried, and _twenty-eight_ years old…if you were a woman, you'd practically be a spinster. There's no reason that-"

"Dad," Aida interrupted quietly, "Let's _not _have this conversation in front of our squadron…please!"

"I think there's no better place to have it," Lord Caylo replied haughtily, "And seeing as how only one of my children is man enough to continue the Caylo line…I figured he might need some extra encouragement."

"It was that kind of encouragement that turned me in the first place," Aida grumbled. Ace shot his brother a sharp look as he kicked him from under the table.

"I thought my family had issues," Cyclonis whispered, taking a small bite of food. She heard Finn laugh under his breath, and she looked up at him, trying to suppress her own laughter as well.

"Well…" Ace sighed, looking to his father angrily, "Cloud and I are not engaged because I am involved with…" he began, looking down the table at the many faces of women, "I am involved with…Starling!" he exclaimed, nodding accordingly, "We are a couple…"

"What?" Starling began, looking thoroughly confused as she looked up from her dish. Ace gave her a look and mouthed the words: Please…go…with…it! Starling looked to Lord Caylo and then smiled, "Yes! The Dark Ace and I are involved!"

"Interesting," Lord Caylo began, looking to Starling curiously. It was blatantly obvious that he knew they were lying, but he decided to have some fun with them, "And so…tell me, Starling was it? How did you and my son come to be a couple?"

"It was during the Atmosian Peace Conference," Starling stated, "I asked him to accompany me…as friends of course, but something began to develop and we became a couple."

"Interesting," Lord Caylo replied, then looking to Ace, "And tell me-"

"Let's not enter into it," Advent interrupted, placing her hand on Lord Caylo's shoulder, "Since when would this be the first time in which parental intervention has driven away love."

"Oh please," Lady Caylo added in the defense of her husband, "I believe that it would hardly encourage parental affection if we weren't interested in the love interests of our children? You too are a mother Advent, would you not agree?"

"Of a fine, stout, love," Advent smiled, placing her hands gently on her lap, "It may, but I am afraid if this just happens to be a vague inclination of love, one small interrogation may strike it dead." Advent looked to Starling and Ace, and gave them both a mischievous little smile and then turned back to Lord Caylo. Ace then looked to Starling from down the table and mouthed the words: Thank you. She replied by mouthing the words: Anytime.

* * *

"That was the worst experience of my life…" Ace began laying down on the bed in his and Aida's room, staring up at the ceiling, feeling sick to his stomach. It was nearly eleven o'clock, and the dinner from hell was finally over, "And I know bad experiences! I've died before!"

"And stupid me," Aida laughed, "I was more worried about our squadron embarrassing us in front of our parents…"

"Never thought for a moment that it would be vice versa," Ace sighed.

"I just feel awful about what Starling and Cloud had to deal with," Aida then added, slipping his nightshirt on over his body, "I mean…how awkward."

"Thank god for Advent though," Ace replied, stepping out of the closed and wrapping a black robe around himself.

"Where are you going?" Aida asked, looking over to Ace.

"I need to relax…" Ace sighed, walking across the floor, and sliding the door open, "I'm going to the bath house…don't wait up for me…"

"Alright," Aida replied, pulling back the covers of the bed, and moving to turn off the light, "Goodnight then…"

"Goodnight," Ace replied, stepping out of the room, and sliding the door shut. He moved down the hallway, tightening the belt of his robe, not paying attention to where he was going. So it was no surprise that he found himself walking into someone, "Sorry, I should have been-" he began, looking up to the figure. He stopped when he realized that it was Cloud, "Oh…"

"Hello," Cloud replied, pulling a strand of silvery white hair out of her face. He looked down and noticed that she too was wearing a bathrobe, and she noted his, "Are you…uhm, going to the bath house?"

"Yes," He nodded, still a little embarrassed about what happened at dinner, "Are you headed that way too?"

"Yes," Cloud nodded, looking down at her feet.

"I could walk with you…" He suggested, "That is…if you would like."

"I would," Cloud nodded, still looking at her feet. Ace just nodded as he headed down the hallway, Cloud walking at his side. The pair headed through a maze of hallways and passages. He lead her to a large sliding door, which he pushed back and lead her into a large dimly lit area outside. It was humid and there were dividers that separated what she assumed were hot springs, although she couldn't tell from behind the dividers.

"My great grandfather had the estate moved here during his time as Lord of the terra," Ace explained, stepping outside, "He told everyone it was because he wanted to oversee the island…but I think it was because of the springs…"

"Hmm," Cloud replied with a slight smile, "I can't say that I blame him…you'd be so calm if you could relax here every day…"

"I don't think anyone is here…" Ace then stated, heading towards one of the enclosed springs, "So…just go wherever you want I guess…" He gestured, gently pulling back one of the dividers and stepping inside. Once he shut the divider behind him, Cloud immediately moved to the one beside his.

"So…" Cloud began, untying her robe once she was safely shut in, "Was it true…what you said at dinner…"

"About?" He replied, untying his robe as well.

"You and Starling," Cloud replied, sliding the robe off of her body and stepping into the hot water.

"No…" Ace replied, shaking his head, taking off his robe, and casually tossing it on to the ground as he stepped into the water.

"Then why would you tell your father that," Cloud asked as she sank almost neck deep into the spring.

"Because all my father cares about is three things," Ace began with a sigh as he leaned back and closed his eyes, "Status, success, and marriage! Namely the _marriage _of his children to someone _successful _and with high _status_."

"I am not of high status…" Cloud then stated, looking in the opposite direction of Ace's divider. Ace then let out another sigh.

"But you are beautiful," He added. At these words, Cloud's face turned a bright shade of pink. She knew she was attractive, but hearing it from him was something else entirely, "And since Aida is bisexual…but prefers men…there's just me who can carry on the Caylo name…and truth be told, my father is vain…his greatest fear is ugly grandchildren…"

"That's really shallow and stupid," Cloud then stated angrily after a few moments of silence. Ace let out a slight laugh at hearing this.

"Well you've clearly never met my family then," He replied, "Why do you suppose Aida and I decided to stay away?" Cloud stayed silent. She wanted him to continue, "It's just rules here…rules, rules, rules! It's enough to make you want to scream! I was tried of my father making every decision for me and having _my _life pre-charted. I'll grow up to inherit the estate, marry the girl of his choosing, and govern Dol Donnis according to how he saw fit…no thanks…that's why I joined the Storm Hawks…it wasn't the most glamorous lifestyle, but it was what I wanted."

"And what was that?" Cloud asked.

"To fly…" Ace replied, "That's all I ever wanted…" Cloud then looked over to his divider and saw his dim silhouette through the paper wall. She then began to smile, as all she wanted from him was to be let in, so she figured that she would give him something he wanted from her. She rose up from the water and pushed back her divider. She figured that no one was there, so it wouldn't matter if she walked about naked. She then placed her hands on his divider, and gently began to slide it back, "What are you doing!" He exclaimed. She heard the water splash around a bit, and when she peeked her head through the opening, she saw from under the water that his hands were in between his legs, as though trying to cover something. She then stepped inside, and closed the divider behind her.

Neither of them said anything. They just stayed where they were, staring at one another for several long moments. She stared into his soft crimson eyes, and he was completely in rapture by the beautiful woman standing before him. She then took the first step into the water until it was at her waist level. He then began moving towards her. He stopped before her, and placed his hands on her face, pulling her head forward and pressing gently his lips against hers. As he did so, she began running her fingers through his black hair. She had expected it to be thick and coarse, but rather it was thin and soft, much like silk. She could have ran her hands through his hair for hours, and he would have let her, if only they had hours in the day.

"Are you sure there is no one here?" Cloud whispered, pulling away from his mouth only enough to speak.

"I don't really care," Ace whispered, burying his face in her neck.

* * *

The next morning came rather quickly. The days were always very long on Dol Donnis, maybe it was because of its geographical position, floating so high above Tropica that it just took longer for the sun to set over it. Or perhaps it was something else. No one knew really. Regardless, the sun was floating high above the terra as birds began to sing and caw outside of the estate. It was a lovely morning, but then again, it was always lovely on Dol Donnis, at least, the weather was always so.

Ace awoke, letting out a yawn and stretching his arms over his head. He felt relaxed and comfortable as he let out a sigh of contentment and laid back down, resting his head against the pillow and closing his eyes.

_What a dream…_he thought, running his fingers through his hair, _It felt so real though…did that actually happen?_

"Are you awake?" A soft voice whispered in his ear as he felt someone climb on to the bed beside him.

"Yes," he replied quietly. He then opened his eyes and saw Cloud laying down next to him. She looked tired, but gave him a soft smile. He didn't really quite know what to say to her. He simply ran his hand through her hair, and began stroking her soft grey ears. She giggled slightly and leaned forward, kissing him on the lips.

"Good morning to you too," She replied gently. He smiled at her as he placed his hand on her face, and pulled her toward him, giving her a kiss in return. His lips brushed past hers, down to her chin, and then to her neck, where he buried his face. As he did so, she moved her hand down from his shoulders, on to his chest, and slid underneath the sheets, gliding down his torso, and finally in between his legs. He took in a quick breath once her hand stopped moving, resting gently on him. He bit the inside of his lip, pulling away from her neck and laying back down. She smiled at him and slowly pulled her hand out from under the covers. He then gave he a slightly irritated look, and in response she giggled and she rolled over and hopped down off of the bed. He rolled his eyes and then smiled, placing his hands behind his head as he laid back and stared up at the ceiling. Ace then noted that he wasn't in his room. Cloud tossed his garments on to his lap as she began putting on her own clothes.

"So last night…" Ace began, scratching the back of his head, "It…actually happened?" He asked, watching Cloud slide her clothes gently on over her body.

"Of course it did!" Cloud giggled, attempting to place her leather collar around her neck, "Did you think you were dreaming?"

"Something like that," Ace replied with a slight smile as he climbed out of the bed. He strode across the room and took hold of her collar, "Let me help you with that…" He stated quietly as he fixed the item gently around her neck.

"Thank you," Cloud replied quietly, looking down at the ground with a sad expression on her face.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, as he placed his hands on her shoulders. Cloud then smiled weakly as she turned around to face him.

"Of course not!" She replied, her expression changing completely, "I am…happy that I was able to share last night with you…" He then smiled at her, as he took hold of her hand, and kissed it, "The others have gone down to the beach…would you like to join them?"

"I don't suppose there is any hurry…" He replied softly, placing his hands on her waist and giving her a light smile.

"I am already dressed," She laughed, gently pushing him away and heading out of her room, "I am going down to the shore…" She added, poking her head back through the door, "Fell free to join me at anytime." She closed the door, and Ace let out a small sigh, walking back over to the bed, and beginning to put his clothes on.

She was everything he had wanted in a woman. She was clever, beautiful, a skilled fighter, and exotic. But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy it, or that he felt nothing, because he did, it was just that there was some overwhelming feeling of concern that had now stricken him. He rolled his eyes, and thought perhaps that he was just overreacting, perhaps still anxious about what had happened to have been said at the dinner, not to mention the events that followed. He pulled his uniform tunic on over his body finally, and stepped out into the hall. He headed through the maze-like manor and out into the gardens behind the estate. At the edge of the gardens was a long and steep wooden staircase that lead down to the shore that the estate overlooked. He descended the staircase, and noted that practically everyone was already down there.

"Hey!" Sora chirped, waving at him as she waded knee-deep in the clear blue water. He gave her a slight smile as he waved back.

"They're all such great people," His sister, Aldese, smiled, leaning over his shoulder. He turned around to look at her, and noted that she was standing a few steps above him, "You're lucky to be around them…they all seem to care a lot about you…and Aida…which is something that can't really be said for this place…" Aldese added, looking down at the ground with sadness in her eyes.

"You'll get out of here some day," Ace replied, smiling at his younger sister.

"Not likely," Aldese replied, stepping past him, "Alinai and I can't really do much…except for the typical…you're lucky you're such a good pilot! I'd love to join the Twilight Knights…"

"It's not what it seems," Ace began, as she and him stepped on to the shore, letting the warm summer air blow through their hair, "People who aren't in a Sky Knight squadron think that it's just fantastic adventures and a life of excitement…and it's not…it's hard, and complicated and somewhat tragic…It's not for the faint of heart…be happy for what you have Aldese…there's nothing wrong with aspiring for nothing more than a family, a comfortable home, and protection."

"I guess you're right…" Aldese replied, looking up at her older brother with a slight smile. He smiled back at her, as she walked past him to go join her twin sitting upon the beach, alongside Fontine who was soaking up the sun (although it probably wouldn't do much good, seeing as how she was so pale).

Most everyone was already out in the water. Sora refused to go in past her knees, but was in the water none the less, with Sherekan sitting on her shoulder. Finn was far off the shore, sitting upon a surfboard, laughing slightly a he watched Cyclonis attempt to paddle out to him (In truth, she didn't get past putting the board _in _the water).

"Come on!" Finn shouted, Junko sitting beside him on a board of his own, "It's easy! Just like we practiced!"

"This may be easy for you," Cyclonis replied, nervously trying to put the board down in the water, "Maybe I should just keep practicing on the shore!"

"Come on! If I can do it, you can too!" Junko laughed, shouting words of encouragement. Cyclonis let out a small squeal of fear as she closed her eyes, and with board in hand, practically jumped into the water. She opened her eyes, and immediately started to paddle, before being swept away by the tide.

"I did it…" Cyclonis began, paddling her board closer and closer to the two boys, "I did it! HA! I can't believe it!" She laughed triumphantly, sitting up on the board, "Haha! I can't believe I'm surfing!"

"You're not surfing yet," Finn smiled, turning around and looking at the formidable wave heading towards them, "But you will be!" He exclaimed as he stood up on the board and began gliding across the crest.

"Wait!" Cyclonis exclaimed, as the wave rushed over her head, "What do I do! ACK!" She shouted as she went under the water.

"Where'd she go?" Junko asked as he and Finn climbed back up on to their boards. Cyclonis' head then popped up out of the water, looking about in confusion.

"I lost my board…" She laughed, pulling her wet hair out of her face. Finn then laughed and paddled over to her, extending his hand towards her, and pulling her out of the water, sitting her in between his legs on the board.

"I still need practice," Cyclonis shrugged with a smile as Finn then sat on his knees on the board, and began to paddle back to shore.

"It's so peaceful here," Piper sighed, smiling as she stepped out of the water, and began to walk towards Aerrow, who laying back on the beach, snoozing under the sun.

"It almost makes you forget that Atmos is in danger," Aerrow replied with a sigh, rolling over on to his stomach, "And it almost makes you want to stay here forever."

"I know what you mean," Piper smiled, sitting down next to him, and running her hands through his hair.

"Good afternoon!" Advent called, wearing a long white cotton sundress, and holding a book in her hands. Cyrus, Lord, and Lady Caylo were behind her as they descended the wooden staircase.

"Oh what is he doing here," Aida snapped, in reference to his father. He was laying in Innes' lap, but quickly ceased doing so, as not to upset his father's _gentle _tendencies. Innes let out a small sigh, as he knew that given the situation, it wouldn't be appropriate for them to keep publicly displaying their affection. It didn't matter though, Lord Caylo saw them, and he gave a hateful look to Innes.

"It's okay," Innes smiled, placing his hand on Aida's shoulder, "I am used to being treated so…it doesn't bother me." Starling heard this from sitting nearby, and looked down to the ground, wishing that there was something she could do. It wasn't that she was eavesdropping, they just happened to be in earshot, and she just happened to have the want to fix things.

"I take it you are all enjoying yourselves," Advent smiled, stepping up to Aerrow and Piper.

"Hey!" Aerrow smiled, looking up at her, "You were right about one thing! This vacation was _much _needed!"

"And long overdue for the rest of my knights," Advent smiled, tucking her hair behind her ears as she watched the other Twilight Knights, "Its only such a shame that there has to be conflict in the world…but if we could stay in such harmony at all times." She stated quietly to herself, looking off into the distance.

"What was that?" Piper asked, turning to her. Advent let out a slight laugh and smiled to her.

"It's not important," She replied.

"Hey!" Nova commanded, holding a white ball under her arm, as Snipe walked up behind her, carrying two poles under one arm, and a balled up net under the other, "Who's up for some volleyball!"

"Me! Me! Me!" Sora shouted, running over to them.

"Come on!" Cyclonis shouted, seizing Finn's wrist, "Let's play!"

"Hey Stork!" Aerrow called as he and Piper rose to their feet, "Come on! Get out from the shade!" Stork looked up at Aerrow from his copy of black poetry, underneath the large black umbrella. Doctor Constantine let out a slight laugh, as she took the book from his hands.

"Why not," She smiled, pulling him by the wrists. At first, Stork gave her a look that said: You've got to be kidding me… but after some forceful tugging by the Doctor, he submitted.

"I must warn you all," Nikolai laughed, laying back in the sand, as his slender wife rose to her feet and headed over with the rest of the group, "Zelkovitz is quite the athlete."

"Even though I'm so old," Zelkovitz replied, rolling her eyes, "Right Nikolai…"

"If you're old," Ravess began jokingly, "I am ancient…now lets play!"

"Hey Leto!" Snipe snapped, thrusting one of the poles deep into the sand, "Get your blue self over here and help me with these!"

"Ehh…" Leto grumbled, half asleep in the sand, "Don't make me do stuff…"

"Lord Caylo," Advent smiled, turning to the master of the estate, "I can not thank you enough for allowing us to visit your estate so diligently…I can assure you, my Knights are in far better comfort here than they would be crammed on the Tempest-"

"It is no trouble Advent," Lord Caylo interrupted, "It is the least I can offer in exchange for the safety and security of Dol Donnis." As they spoke however, Advent caught a glimpse of Cyrus out of the corner of her eye.

"Could you give us a moment," Advent gestured to Lord Caylo as she took Cyrus by the arm, and began to lead her down the shore, to where no one would hear their conversation, "Something is troubling you…I can see it in your eyes."

"Doesn't any of this bother you?" Cyrus asked, watching the other Twilight Knights frolic on the beach.

"I'm afraid I don't follow," Advent replied with a frown. Cyrus let out a long sigh, and then continued.

"None of the nine guardians are ready for combat…" Cyrus began, "They don't even know their positions in the Triad…not to mention the other Knights could use the extra training! Cypress and her forces are encroaching! They've already proven to us that not even our own carriers are safe! What happened to Finn should be proof enough of that…I just wonder about your judgment sometimes…" Cyrus sighed, looking down at the white sand, "And I wonder about you…and me…"

"Oh Cyrus," Advent smiled, placing a pale hand on her face, "You know I trust and regard your opinions as though they are my own! But even you are still recovering from plague…some rest and relaxation will do both you and I some good."

"You always did put the welfare of the squadron first," Cyrus replied, taking Advent's hand, "So I do suppose you're right…"

"I know I'm right," Advent smiled.

"But I have one thing to ask you," Cyrus began before Advent could head back to where the others could see them. Advent turned around, and listened intently, "Why is Nova still your right hand?"

"Cyrus…" Advent sighed, looking off at the horizon, "Lets not start this again…Nova is practically my sister…In fact she is more of my sister than Cypress is…you know that. You are still so young, and Nova has more experience-"

"Do you love me?" Cyrus interrupted, seizing Advent by the wrists. Advent looked into her eyes, and let out a sigh, "You keep saying so…but I am less inclined to believe you!"

"You already know the answer to that," Advent replied, "Don't be such a fool Cyrus…" And yet Cyrus did not release her grip on Advent, which it was at that point, she knew that Cyrus would not let go unless she answered, "Yes Cyrus…I love you…" She stated, leaning in and giving Cyrus a light kiss on the lips, "Now can we please return to the others…I don't want them to be suspicious of us…" She stated, turning away from Cyrus and heading back up the shore.

"Advent," Cyrus called once more. Advent turned to face her, "When can we stop hiding…"

"I don't know…" Advent replied, knowing the answer to her question was: Never. Although Advent was a strong believer in hope. And maybe if Cyrus held the hope that she could one day she and Advent could be together by more than just the light of the moon, she wouldn't be so cold. Although, Advent knew that they would never be together, not publicly, and hardly by night.


	25. Chapter 24: House of Waiting Family II

**[Message from Kingdom Come]:** GAHBFUDIDGBDFJOASHF! It's taken me FOREVAR to update! But without further adieu, here it is! Yay! Part II! Okay so June 30th being Dark Ace's birthday is not a random Kingdom Come-ism that I made up for this fanfic (like Ace's 'real' name…which is still a f**king mystery to me! If I ever find the legitimate link to the Dark Ace's real name, I will personally go back and change all of the 'Anteres' to whatever it really is and repost the story -_- seriously! It's starting to bother me!). If you go to the Storm Hawks wikia, they state that his b-day is June 30th according to the SH creators, although (**RANT TIME :D**) why on earth would the SH creators bother fabricating a birth date for the Dark Ace, but not a name! I mean, of all the relevant pieces of information for the fans to have, you'd think the name would be the most relevant right! Whatever Asaph Fipke…whatever -_- I guess there are some weird people who would want to celebrate his birthday every June 30th (hey! Like the twilight knights…oops…spoiler…) Also, when someone refers to someone as Master, for example when Cypress and Advent are referred to as such, it means it in the sense used in the leadership sense. However Master can also be used as a prefix to a boy's surname (such as when you hear Alfred call Bruce 'Master Wayne' on batman XD). So when Sherekan calls Ace 'Master Anteres', he's not calling Ace his Master, he's being proper. Just clarifying. anyway! More character development! Anyway Enjoi!

Chapter XXIV.

The House of Waiting Family (Part II)

The next day was not as pleasant. Soft gray clouds hung in the air, and sent a slight feeling of horror through the souls of the other nights, as the cold air rushed through the Caylo manor. In truth, they were waiting for snow. However at about eight in the morning, it began to drizzle just slightly, which progressed into a steady rain. There was a rock garden just behind the hot springs on the estate. According to both sisters, the garden was used for reflection and meditation. Somehow, if one stared into the rocks for a sufficient amount of time, they would have some sort of revelation. No one else in the Twilight Knights really understood this, but they visited anyway.

This particular, dismal, rainy morning, Finn was sitting down on one of the red benches underneath an awning as he watched one of the hands rake through the garden, even in the rain. He just sat, and watched. Several moments of nothing but the sounds of the falling rain, and the rocks being raked filled the air, until Finn felt something strange. His left arm began to twitch. He looked down at it curiously, and with a little bit of concern. He gripped his forearm with his opposite hand, to keep it from having a spasm. He held on tightly to his left arm for several moments until the involuntary motions ceased. He let out a sigh, and then looked back up at the garden then, and let out a sigh. He knew what was happening, but he hoped that maybe if he didn't address it, it would just go away.

"Hey!" He then heard a voice quietly chime from behind him. He smiled as he turned around to face her, "This is the last place I'd expect to find you." Cyclonis smiled, walking up to him, and sitting down on the bench, "That yukata looks nice on you…" She added, nodding to the blue robe wrapped around his body, "It matches your eyes."

"Thanks," He replied sheepishly, "I thought it made me look like a girl…"

"It was a bit pretentious of Lord Caylo to force us all to wear them," Cyclonis nodded, "But then again, we are using his estate…" The servant then ceased raking the rock garden and then left the two teens alone under the awning.

"It's really cold out this morning…" Finn stated after several moments of silence, "It's June…Isn't it supposed to be warm?"

"Yeah," Cyclonis replied, tucking her hair behind her ears. It was silent between them for several more moments but they kept exchanging quick glances. His hand kept inching towards hers until the point where their fingertips touched. At this, Cyclonis jumped, so taken aback by the motion, "Well…" Cyclonis began, rising to her feet, "I should get go…I have to-" however, as she went to walk away, she lost her footing on the damp floor and slipped. In the process, she seized hold of Finn's shoulder for support, but accidentally knocked him to the floor as well. She didn't mean to, but she landed on top of him, and in a slightly awkward position. Also without meaning to, she pulled half of his yukata off his chest. They both looked into each other's eyes and blushed. Finn would have never admitted it to anyone ever, but this was the absolute closest that he had been to someone of the opposite sex, physically, that is. And in truth, there wasn't much fabric _separating _them either. Finn's cheeks turned a bright shade of scarlet as he felt a strange sensation in between his legs.

"F-Finn…" Cyclonis whispered, staring at him with wide eyes.

"I…" Finn replied, unable to speak, "I…I'm so sorry!" He began, gently pushing her off of him, tightly rewrapping his robe around him, and running back into the manor, most likely to take care of his _ailment_. Cyclonis sat upon the wet ground feeling lost, confused, and slightly hurt. The only thoughts going through her mind were: Am I not good enough? Did I do something wrong? Is he humiliated by being attracted to me? Little to her knowledge, he had never been in such a situation, and was just trying to be respectful. She then buried her face into her hands.

"Is someone in here?" A voice asked, pulling back one of the sliding door that lead into the temple. Cyclonis didn't hear him. She continued to sit on the floor, with her face hidden in her hands, ignoring the world around her, "Oh my God!" Aida shouted, running up to her, "Cyclonis are you alright!" He asked, noticing her disheveled hair, pulled opened robe, and the fact that she was slightly crying.

"It's okay…" She stated, her hands still buried in her face, "It's my fault anyway…."

"What was your fault!" Aida exclaimed, "Did someone do this to you! Who was it! Where did they go!" Aida commanded angrily.

"Aida…" Cyclonis sighed, finding the strength to pull her hands away from her face. Her thick black makeup was running in streams down her cheeks, and she wiped the dark tears away from her face with the sleeve of her robe, "It was Finn-"

"That little peroxide PUNK!" Aida shouted, rising to his feet.

"No you don't understand," Cyclonis began, seizing Aida's sleeve, "Finn didn't _do _anything…It's…It's what he _didn't_ do…"

"What happened then," Aida asked, kneeling back down before her.

"I don't really want to talk about it right now," Cyclonis replied, staring off into the distance a little, "But Aida…what were you doing over here anyway?"

"To tell you the truth!" Aida smiled, his face lighting up at the question, "I was gathering up everyone in the squadron! We're going into town today for…well you know what today is…"

"I'm sorry?" Cyclonis replied, turning to look at Aida.

"It's the thirtieth…"Aida stated, looking at her expectantly, "Of June…" She tilted her head to the side, still not sure as to what he was implying, "…Anteres and I are Twenty-nine today…"

"Oh my! That's right!" Cyclonis exclaimed, throwing her hands over her forehead, "That's today!"

"About time you caught on!" Aida replied, rolling his eyes slightly, "Anyway! I felt that since it's so gloomy out today, and morale is still a little low around here, a little _we're almost the big three-O _celebration would do us some good!"

"That's great…" Cyclonis replied, "But…Ace…he never really was into anything _personal_. Do you really think that he is going to go for-"

"Oh Anteres doesn't know!" Aida chirped, as though this was okay, "It's a surprise! I've found away to keep him distracted for the _entire _day."

"…dare I ask how you managed to do that?" Cyclonis asked, thinking of all the seemingly vial things that Aida could have done to his brother.

"I sent him into town with the one person on the squadron who is so _out there_ that there's no way he can possibly ignore her," Aida replied with a devious smile.

* * *

"Sora!" Ace shouted, walking through the streets of the town, overlooked by his father's estate. It was cold, and the rain had began to fall harder since its start, and Ace was sufficiently soaked, "Sora, I've had enough of this! Where are you!"

"I'm over here…" Sora snapped, appearing out of thin air, with Sherekan on her shoulder, arms crossed and pouting as she stood only a few feet from Ace.

"Don't be such a kill joy Master Anteres!" Sherekan stated politely, flicking his tail back and fourth, "Miss Sora and I were only having a bit of fun!" Ace crossed his arms and looked down at the young girl contemptuously, as he held his hand out.

"Hand it over squirt…" He stated, demanding the shielding crystal in Sora's hands. Sora then looked to the clock. It was nowhere near the time she needed to bring him back to the manor. She then looked to the shielding crystal, and then to the bag hanging at Ace's side, and a devious smile came across her face, "And I want my firebolt crystal back too-" but before he could finish, Sora snatched the bag from his side, and ran off down the street.

"Sora!" Ace shouted, " Come back here! This isn't funny!"

"Who's being funny?" Sora giggled, waving the crystal and the bag back and fourth, taunting him, "Catch me if you can!" She laughed, using the shielding crystal to turn invisible.

"Oh when I find that kid…" Ace growled, pulling his wet hair out of his face, "I'm going to rip those pink pigtails right out of her head!"

Meanwhile, across town, Aida managed to wrangle the entire squadron down into the square. Everyone was buying up various assortments of items from decorations, to clothes for the festivities for themselves. Meanwhile, Cloud was standing out in front of a jewelry shop, looking in at the display window at the many fantastic (and expensive) items glittering even on this most dismal day.

"Is there something I can help you with?" The young clerk asked, sticking his head out of the door and standing beside Cloud.

"Oh no," Cloud smiled, "I was just looking…besides it's not like I could afford anything in here…"

"Nonsense," Advent smiled, walking up behind her, "Cloud you know that whatever it is that you would like to procure, I will have-"

"If it's alright with you Master Advent," Cloud smiled weakly, "This is something for Anteres…and I was hoping to get it myself…"

"I understand my dear," Advent smiled, placing a hand on her face, "But perhaps this young man would be willing to barter? Just a suggestion…" Advent added with a smile before walking away.

"I would be open to it," the clerk smiled, "Your necklace," he nodded, gesturing to the pearl crescent moon pendant necklace gently hanging around her neck, "It's quite exotic…and would be a wonderful addition to our collection…what exactly is it made from?"

"Moonstone…" Cloud stated, "but it can only be found on terra Phusis…it's sort of special to me…please understand that I am not ready to part with it."

"I understand," The clerk smiled, "But if you are still interested in a trade, you know where to find me." He concluded. Cloud smiled at him as he walked back in the store. She let out a sigh as she looked down at the most perfect golden band she had ever seen. It was so simple, but yet so pure.

"Wait!" She called, pushing open the door and taking a few steps inside, "Sir!"

"Alright!" Aida chimed, standing in the center of the small square, holding a brightly colored umbrella with Innes standing at his side, "It looks like everything is going according to plan…Sora should have Anteres good and lost by now, and that will give us plenty of time to set up!"

"You're so thoughtful Aida," Innes began to swoon, leaning in his direction, "To do this for your brother and the squadron on such short notice." He continued, as the pair began to make their way out of the square and headed back towards the estate.

"Don't be so impressed," Aida replied impishly, "After all, today we're also celebrating the second most important Twilight Knight…next to master Advent of course…" Aida continued, winking at Innes slyly. Innes looked at him curiously, and Aida let out a slight sigh of frustration, "Uh…hello…the second most important person…me!" Aida laughed, pointing to himself.

"You're so funny!" Innes smiled, clinging to his arm like some boy-crazy school girl.

"Ugh…" Nympherious scoffed, rolling his eyes as he watched the pair from afar, "Those two make me sick…" he growled, making the remark to Victor, who just snickered in response to his comment, "I'm shocked given Advent's position on romance that she even allows Nikolai and Zelkovitz to stay in the squadron together…let alone those two _creatures _smitten all over the ship."

"Agreed," Victor replied, brushing his dusty black hair out of his face, "Homosexuality is revolting…just being in their presence makes me sick."

"As am I," Nympherious replied, "Hopefully this debacle Master Advent calls a vacation will be over soon, and we can resume doing something of importance…" Starling let out a rather loud and frustrated sigh, overhearing their conversation, and thoroughly offended by their remarks. However, neither of them happened to hear it.

"Is something wrong?" Aerrow asked, turning to Starling. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I'll tell you about it later," She replied, glancing over her shoulder at the pair. Unfortunately, Aida happened to hear the pair's conversation as well, but given the circumstances, he felt that calling them out and starting trouble would only make the situation worse.

* * *

"Excuse me…" Ace began, walking into the same jewelry shop which Cloud had just visited. The young store clerk turned to him and smiled, noting that he looked tired and was soaking wet.

"Yes sir," He smiled as Ace stepped into the shop, "Have you seen a little girl by chance, about ten…she's about this tall…" he began holding his hand up to about Sora's height, "She has pink hair and she hangs out with a little gray cat…see anyone like that?"

"I'm sorry," The young man replied with a slight frown, "I haven't…I wish there was something I could do to help you though…is she your little sister?"

"Something like that," Ace replied, resisting the urge to wring his hair dry, "Anyway, thanks for the help…" He sighed, moving to leave the shop, but something caught his eye. He immediately recognized the item on the neck of the mannequin as Cloud's, but he wondered how it got there, "Did…did a young woman give this to you?" he asked, pointing to the item, as the clerk walked towards him, "Kind of short, white hair…furry ears…"

"Oh her!" The clerk replied with a nod, "A beautiful young woman she was! Yes she stopped in here about an hour ago. She was with quite a large group of people…yes she traded that necklace with me. Said that she wanted something for a friend of hers for a birthday or something like that? I take it you know her and her friend then?"

"Yes," he replied, looking to the necklace, "I know them both…well actually. How much do you want for it then?"

"The necklace?" The clerk asked, scratching his head, "I don't know…it's quite the rare find! How about-"

"Whatever the price is," Ace stated, crossing his arms, "I'll take it…"

"Yes sir," The clerk smiled, taking the necklace off of the neck of the mannequin. He moved across the store, leaving Ace alone for just a few seconds.

"Ooh!" He growled, "That's why that little brat took my stuff! She's been trying to keep me away from the house! When I find her-"

"NO!" Sora shouted, appearing out of thin air, and pounding angrily on Ace's back, "You ruined the surprise! Why'd ya have to come in here anyway!"

"There you are!" Ace snapped, whipping around and seizing one of Sora's braids.

"OW!" Sora wailed, trying to push him off of her, "Lemme go!"

"Sora!" Ace snapped, "Are you aware of what you did! What if you had gotten hurt and I wouldn't have been able to find you!"

"Shows how dumb you are then!" Sora growled, pushing him away from her, "I've been following you in your tracks all day! I've been right behind you this whole time! You were just too stupid to turn around!"

"When we get back to the house…" Ace growled, kneeling down to her eye level, "You are in so much trouble…" He added, taking Sora's shielding crystal and walking towards the clerk.

"It was Aida's idea though!" Sora whined, crossing her arms, and beginning to pout. She moved to run away once again, but she realized that he would just go back to the house, leaving her alone in the rainy city.

"Oh he's in trouble too," Ace replied taking the box from the clerk and heading out of the shop, "Now come on…we're going back whether it's _time_ or not!"

"But…" Sora began, attempting to make him stop, "But…but!"

"No Sora!" Ace snapped, turning around and seizing the wrist of the youth, "We're going now!" He then took back his satchel and his firebolt crystal and forced Sora up the long and winding path back to the estate.

"Hey guys," Piper stated, looking out of the windows to the dining hall and down towards the end of the walkway, "I think I see Sora coming this way…"

"Oh no!" Aida began, rushing to the window besides Piper, "She's got Anteres with her!"

"But we aren't finished decorating!" Aru gasped, holding a collection of streamers in her arms, and running about wildly.

"I told you this idea wouldn't work!" Alinai began haughtily, crossing her arms, and leaning lazily against a nearby wall.

"Nonsense!" Aldese began, rallying everyone in the group, "Come on people! We can get this room into shape and hide before they get up here! Lets move it!" At the teen's command, the group scrambled, doing everything from placing tables, to hanging décor.

"Dammit!" Cyclonis snapped, trying to secure a blue streamer to a hook, more than a foot above her head, "If…I…was just…and inch…taller!" She grumbled to herself, noting that all of the chairs in the room were being used by other people for the same exact reason.

"Allow me," Nevan stated sweetly, gently lifting her up the waist, as she gently draped the streamer over the hook, "There…I hope I didn't overstep any boundaries."

"Of course not," Cyclonis replied as she was gently placed back down on to the ground, "You're so chivalrous Nevan…"

"I try," He replied with a smile.

"Whatever!" Finn scoffed, watching the pair from a distance, "Chicks…who needs 'em!"

"What did you say Finn?" Junko asked, ignoring him slightly.

"Nothing," Finn replied, rolling his eyes, and crossing his arms, looking down at the floor. Evidently, his actions were not appropriate for diffusing the situation earlier according to Cyclonis. He wondered what might have happened between them if he had then thrown himself at her, rather than running away. But all notions of what could have been left his mind immediately, once he saw Nevan place his hands on her.

"Everyone hide!" Aldese exclaimed, retracting her head from the window, "They're almost here!"

"Piper kill the lights!" Aida commanded, dashing behind a curtain. She let out a slight laugh as she lifted a dull grayish crystal into the air. Within a few seconds, the gray stone absorbed the light from within the room, and the hall was completely dark. Everyone scrambled, looking for an appropriate hiding place as they heard two sets of footsteps prowl around outside of the hall.

"…And later," They heard Ace snap as he placed his hands on the closed doors of the hall, "You're going to get a long talk about respecting other's property…"

"Aww…" Sora grumbled as he pushed the doors open. The hidden members of the squadron readied themselves as the door swung open and the pair stepped into the shrouded room.

"Aida…" Ace growled, crossing his arms, still soaking wet, and thoroughly irritated, "I know you're in he-"

"SURPRISE!" Everyone shouted, as the light was immediately restored to the room, and the squad jumped from their hiding places in a flash-mob style as many of the girls threw large handfuls of red confetti into the air.

"Uh…" He began, looking around the room in utter confusion (considering he had never been surprised like this before, or even knew what the concept of a surprise party was), "W-what is all this?"

"It's for your birthday dummy!" Sora stated, pushing him gently on the arm, "You knew that already because you had to go and ruin the surprise!"

"But…" He began, "Why go through the trouble?"

"Oh just shut it and have some fun!" Nova commanded, already holding a full glass of beer, "Besides! We need a reason to celebrate right now!"

"I'll drink to dat mon!" Leto laughed as he and Nova clashed their steins together.

"Here…" Sora then began, taking a very poorly wrapped package from her satchel, and handing it to Ace, "It's my present to you…It's not much, but I figured that you could use it about now…" he took the gift from her and pulled the paper off, revealing a bright pink towel.

"…hehe…" Ace laughed, slightly, looking down at the ridiculous pink item, "haha…AHAHAHA!" He laughed, realizing that given the situation, it was totally appropriate. Everyone was slightly taken aback though. They had scarcely seen him show any kind of happiness, let alone laughter, and in truth, they had never seen him smile like that either, "Wow Sora…thanks! I…I needed that." he continued, laughing in between words as he began to dry off his hair with the towel.

"In case you were wondering," Sherekan chirped, "The towel happened to be my idea."

"But I chose the color!" Sora chirped proudly. It was then quiet for a few moments, as everyone was half expecting Ace to cease laughing, and then blow up on Aida, but that didn't happen.

"What are we waiting for!" Nova then shouted, holding her glass into the air, "Let's drink!" She commanded, as a wave of laughter and cheers erupted throughout the room.

"So you're not mad…" Aida asked with a meek smile as he stepped up to his brother. Ace looked up at him contemptuously and had an expression that said: Of course I'm mad…but I'm not going to say so in front of everyone. Ace then rolled his eyes and gave him a slight smile.

"No…I'm not…" He sighed, still ringing his hair dry, "But I'm not exactly happy with you either…"

"Hey!" Innes chirped, rushing up beside Aida, "I hate to interrupt, but I have something for you!" He smiled, taking Aida by the arm and dragging him into the small crowd.

"Hello," Cloud began sheepishly, walking up beside Ace, seizing the opportunity now that he was alone. He turned to her and gave her a slight smile. His smile grew a little wider when he watched her tail flick back and fourth rapidly as she came towards him. He knew that it only did so on two occasions, whenever she was extremely happy, or when he was around.

"Hello," He replied as he hung the damp towel around his neck. She let out a slight laugh as he was still soaked to the marrow.

"So uhm…" Cloud began, "I still don't fully understand some of the customs of your people…but I believe it's appropriate to say happy birthday." She smiled, holding out a small black box, tied with a white ribbon.

"Thank you," He replied softly, taking it from her. He gently untied the ribbon, and lifted the lid off of the box, "Oh…" he began, looking down at the contents in confusion, "I…don't know what to say…" he stated, looking down at the gold band.

"You don't like it!" Cloud exclaimed, "I knew you wouldn't! I'm such a fool-"

"It's not that," Ace interrupted, "It's just that…I mean, gold rings…among our people…I mean it's supposed to signify…well-"

"I thought that you gave them to someone you care about," Cloud replied honestly. He let out a slight laugh.

"Something like that," He replied, "It's a little more emotional than that…" He stated, pulling off his left glove, and placing the ring on his left hand, "But I think I get what you're trying to say…Well now you know," he replied in a hushed tone, showing her the ring on his finger, "That my body and soul are at your command…"

"As are mine to you," Cloud replied, looking up at him, "I will lock them away…and you, yourself, shall keep the key of it."

"I'll hold you to that," He replied, taking her hand, and kissing it.

"Well," Cyrus began, striding over to the pair, with a drink in hand, "The two of you are getting a little cozy…don't you think?"

"Is that really any of your business Cyrus?" Cloud snapped, turning to the pretentious red head. Cyrus shot her a dirty look, and then turned to Ace, "Anyway…congratulations on reaching twenty-nine…you only died once trying to get there-"

"Cyrus," Advent smiled, gently gliding up behind her, "Let's not say something we might regret…"

"Nonsense!" Cyrus replied, laughing slightly (it was apparent that she was a little loose, but no one said anything), "I mean…look at the two of them! So in love that even Cloud is glowing! Wouldn't you agree Advent?"

"Come to think of it you do look a little different," Advent stated, tilting her head slightly to look at Cloud, "You do seem a little brighter…"

"Hardly," Cloud replied, feeling a little uncomfortable, scratching the back of her head.

"Don't be so modest," Advent smiled, looking her up and down, "There is something different about you…perhaps love is in the air after all. Come Cyrus." Advent commanded, taking her arm and guiding her back into the party.

"What was that about?" Ace asked, crossing his arms and looking down at Cloud. She merely shrugged, watching the two women walk away. It was at that moment when Ace did notice something different about her. It was almost as though she _was _glowing, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it. Regardless of Ace and Cloud's strange run-in with Cyrus though, the night continued on without any drama from the other knights (in spite of what drama could have ensued).

"Hey," Cyclonis chimed walking up to Ace from within the crowd. In her hands was a small, rather old looking book, which she handed to him accordingly, "It's not much…but I thought you might like it."

"A copy of Utopia…" He smiled, looking down at the old binding.

"I hope you like it…" Cyclonis began, "It's a favorite of my mother's."

"Which one?" He laughed slightly, although the joke was quite rude, "Thank you…" He smiled. The pair was then silent for several moments.

"…Can we be friends again?" She asked, looking up at him.

"We never were," He began, still holding on to the book. She then looked down at the floor, and moved to walk away, "But we can _become _friends…I see that as a viable possibility…"

"I'd like that," She smiled weakly, walking back into the crowd. Looking down at the floor as she walked, she hardly noticed where she was in fact going, which didn't surprise her when she collided with Finn, "Sorry…" She replied quickly, looking up at him and walking away.

"Hey," He began, taking gentle hold of her wrist before she could walk away, "Can we please talk?"

"About?" Cyclonis demanded, turning to look at him, "There is nothing to talk about…If there was anything between the two of us you certainly extinguished any interest with your display of blatant disregard and your repulsion by me."

"Wait, wait, wait," Finn interrupted quickly, "Okay so I didn't understand much of what you just said, but it didn't sound very good! And I…I do like you! I'm just…not very good at it…"

"Good at what?" Cyclonis asked, sounding a little confused.

"Come with me," He stated, rolling his eyes as he took her out of the hall, and into the empty foyer if the manor.

Meanwhile, inside of the hall, people were practically oblivious to the pair's exit. Possibly, due to the fact that the spotlight was focused around Ace and Aida. The two men were standing within a tightly knit circle, consisting also of Advent, Cyrus, Nova, Snipe, Cloud, Innes, and Lord and Lady Caylo.

"I must say," Advent began with a slight smile, "Your younger sisters are two of the most delightful young women I have ever encountered, especially Aldese." Gesturing to the two young girls speaking with Aru and Fontine from across the room.

"Oh yes I adore her," Ace stated, looking over to his younger sister, who smiled and waved to him from across the room.

"It's only a pity that she is not more beautiful," Lord Caylo stated, taking a sip from the glass in his hand.

"Father!" Ace snapped, turning to look at him.

"Oh but please," Lady Caylo laughed, dismissing her son, "Anteres would never admit that she was plain. Of course, it's him and our dear Alinai that are the coveted prizes of the terra."

"A bit pretentious of you to say so," Aida then added haughtily as Lord Caylo shot him a dirty look, "Don't you think so Mother?"

"Of course not," Lady Caylo replied indignantly, "Young men have been lining up to try their hand at courting Alinai, but none have done so with Aldese."

"And you'd best learn to speak respectfully to your betters Aida," Lord Caylo snapped, turning to his youngest son.

"He should only speak respectfully if respect is warranted," Nova began, rather contemptuously, "I see no reason for him to pay respect to either of you."

"Excuse me…" Lord Caylo began, looking over Nova with disdain.

"Don't mind her!" Snipe stated angrily, staring down at Nova, "Nova can be a little hot headed…" She then turned to him and gave him a look that said something too inappropriate to put in print.

"Excuse me," Nova began with a slightly irritated sigh as she turned to walk away from the group. Snipe followed her accordingly, making sure Nova didn't do anything else on her way, "Ugh!" She growled as he caught up to her, "I can't stand those people! Is it any wonder those boys left!"

"I'll admit," Snipe growled, turning to look at Lord Caylo, "That guy makes it really hard _not _to punch him in the face!"

"At long last!" Nova laughed, going for another drink, "Something that the two of us finally agree upon!"

"Is your right hand that insufferable?" Lord Caylo asked Advent once Nova was gone. Advent just let out a slight laugh in response.

"You have no idea," Cyrus responded promptly, letting her utter disdain for Nova be apparent.

"She's not all bad," Innes chimed in, jumping to Nova's defense, "Granted she can be a little blunt…but she's an excellent commander."

"And what is your role in the Twilight Knights?" Lord Caylo asked, turning to Innes, and looking him over. Innes felt a little uncomfortable, but took a deep breath and answered the question.

"Well…" Innes began, "I am a navigation specialist and tactics…"

"And what exactly are your intentions for my son?" Lord Caylo asked darkly.

"Anyone else need some air!" Ace interrupted, averting this very touchy subject "Because I do! Come Cloud…" He stated, taking her by the arm and walking away from the group, "That's one battlefield I do _not _want to get trapped in!"

"Right…" She nodded as the pair made their way out of the hall, and outside.

"Lady Caylo," Advent began, purposefully directing the attention to her, "Tell me…did you choose the décor for your abode?"

"Come on," Aida whispered, pulling Innes out of the conversation and into the crowd, "Dodged a bullet on that one I'd say." Aida laughed as Innes took his hand, they walked into the crowd, and as they did so, Nypherious and Victor walked by, throwing a drink in Innes' face as they did so. They then headed towards the door of the hall, and Aida turned to the two men, and followed them out of the hall in a rage.

"Hey!" Aida shouted once they were out of the room, "What's your problem!"

"Aida it's okay!" Innes cried, trying to avoid a conflict, "I'm fine! Really!"

"Well I'm not!" Aida snapped, "I heard what you said about us earlier today! And if you've got something to say just say it to my face you punk!"

"Victor…" Nympherious growled, "Get back inside…" He hissed, not taking his eyes of Aida. Aida then turned to Innes and gestured him to do the same. Reluctantly, both men headed back into the hall, leaving Aida and Nypherious alone in the foyer.

"Now listen here!" Aida shouted, "I've had it to here with your-" But he was quickly interrupted when Nypherious seized him by the collar of his uniform and thrust him against the nearest wall.

"I can't stand you Aida Caylo!" Nympherious hissed, looking over Aida hatefully as he pinned the man against the wall (unbeknownst to him that someone was watching them), "I _hate _the way you wave yourself in front of me! Shoving your ways in my face! It makes me sick!" He hissed.

"What are you talking about!" Aida shouted, looking at Nympherious as though he was crazy. It was silent between them for several moments, but Nympherious never released his grip on Aida, "Let go of me!" Aida shouted in an uncomfortable panic. But it was at that moment, Nympherious shoved his face against Aida's, pressing their lips together quickly and violently. Aida struggled, trying to break free, but Nympherious was too strong. He released after a few long and agonizing seconds, releasing a petrified Aida from his grip.

"You tell anyone about this," Nympherious hissed, "And I'll kill you…" He growled, turning away from him and walking back into the hall.

"Oh my god…" Cyclonis whispered, from concealed behind a nearby corner in the foyer, "Did…that really just happen!"

"They…he…and…Aida!" Finn began, completely befuddled by what he just saw, "Nympherious…is…is…is-"

"Gay!" Cyclonis whispered in shock as she turned to Finn.

"We should out the jerk!" Finn whispered.

"No," Cyclonis replied, "We'll wait…karma always catches up to people like him…give it some time…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Ace and Cloud were seated on a small wooden patio that extended out of the hall. The bright lights coming from inside of the hall was emitting a dull golden glow that slightly illuminated the deck for them to see. From where they sat they could see the ocean, and the salty breeze ran gently through their hair as the sounds of the twilight knights carousing inside blended with the sounds of the waves lapping against the shore.

"Hey!" Sora chimed, stepping on to the patio along with Junko, "There you two are! You're missing all the fun!"

"It's okay Sora," Cloud smiled, turning to look at her.

"What are you guys doing out here anyway?" Junko asked honestly.

"Just taking a moment to let some things sink in," Ace replied, looking out at the moonlit ocean. Sora and Junko then sat down beside them, as Piper and Aerrow noted that all four of them were out on the deck, and joined them as well.

"What's everyone doing out here?" Aerrow asked, sitting down at the edge of the deck as well, Piper at his side.

"Taking in this place one last time before we have to leave tomorrow," Cloud smiled, listening to the waves, "It's so perfect here…you almost forget what's going on."

"I don't know," Stork began gloomily, stepping out on to the deck and sitting down with the others, "It's a little too…bright…for me…"

"What's everyone doing out here?" Finn asked, as he and Cyclonis walked out on to the patio as well."

"This place," Sora then began after a few long moments of silence, "It seems to make all of the bad things go away for a while…doesn't it?"

"Sort of," Ace began, looking down at the wooden planks of the deck, "Of course that's only because my family is…well my family…I certainly don't need to explain now that you've met them…but then again all families have their skeletons, am I right?"

"I wouldn't know…" Sora replied, looking down at her feet, "I was found on terra wyndia…they don't know who my parents are or even where I came from."

"We're all orphans too," Piper stated, gesturing to the rest of the Storm Hawks, placing her arm around Sora's shoulders as she gently leaned her head on Piper's shoulders.

"I was born to a brood mother," Cloud stated, "So I don't really have parents either…"

"I didn't even know Advent was my real mother until a few years ago," Cyclonis added, "So I guess most of us can't really say that we've ever had a real family…"

"We're kinda like a family though," Sora chimed, looking to her fellow knights, "Right? I mean…we could be…"

"…Of course we could be," Ace began after a few moments of silence. He then lifted Sora up off of the deck and placed her on his lap, as she leaned back on his chest. Cloud then leaned her head on his shoulder, as Piper did the same. Aerrow wrapped his arms around Piper's waist as he leaned on her shoulder, as Cyclonis rested her chin on Cloud's. Finn then laid against Cyclonis as Junko wrapped his large arms around them all.

"Come here Stork…" Piper stated, looking at the Merb from within the embrace, "You're getting hugged…"

"Whether you like it or not!" Aerrow added. Stork rolled his eyes as though saying: do I really have to hug you people. None the less, he walked over to them, where Junko pulled him into the group almost immediately. It stayed quiet for several more moments before Ace broke the silence.

"I don't know what's going to happen to us once we leave here," He began, keeping his gaze fixed on the ocean, "But the nine of us have a job to do…and I know that some of the other twilight knights aren't going to make it through this war…but I promise that I'll die before I let anything happen to any of you…" They all looked to him with respect, and knew that the man they saw before them was no longer the same man they had encountered several years ago. Perhaps it was Advent's influence, or perhaps it was coming back from the grave that changed him so, none of them could say for sure, but then again, did they really care why he had changed, or just that he had changed at all.

* * *

**[End chapter message! Yay!]:** Anyway guys so Kingdom Come was an idiot and fell down a staircase and broke her foot :D yay! -_- anyway so this means that I am going to be home for quite some time and will have plenty of time now that I have nothing to do but sit around all day with my broken foot to write more chapters and finally finish book one yay! okay so that's about all, except for, you know, review the story, and vote on the poll on my profile...


	26. Chapter 25: The Puppet Master's Love

**[Message from KC]: **I like this chapter. I'm not sure why…probably because it's a little sick and twisted…but I like it. It's not my favorite to date, but it's up there (and you should review it…hint hint…wink wink…) Oh and I'm sorry if this chapter is a little 'silent hill-ish' it's just that I was watching the movie on TV when I wrote it XD needless to say the twistedness of silent hill began to inspire me XD You know, not to mention I've been feeling rather silent hill-ish lately. You know when you're feeling particularly morbid, or dark, or twisted, or just feeling completely fucked you can say: "Oh don't mind me...I'm feeling Silent Hill-ish today"...yeah that was me...today-_- Also, throwing in some non-cypress related villains :P just for the heck of it, ya know!

One more thing: I SHIP FINN AND CYCLONIS! GET OVER IT :|

OH! I almost forgot guys: Seven more chapters and an epilogue, and volume 1 is done! :D

* * *

Chapter XXV.

The Puppet Master's Love

"I can't believe this is our last day of vacation," Sora sighed, sitting upon the golden beach the next morning. The sun was shining and the ocean was bringing in a nice, warm breeze from the currents and gulls were calling overhead. Plenty of townspeople were taking advantage of the weather and walking about the beach as well.

"I know," Piper began, lying down on the hot sand, "Although I suppose we can't stay here forever…"

"At least some of the slack will be taken off of us once the new recruits come back from terra Anu," Cyclonis stated, pulling her dark hair out of her face.

"Didn't you hear?" A young woman from the town whispered to another woman, walking past the three girls on the beach, "Another boy has gone missing!"

"Oh no!" The other woman gasped, "I don't understand! That's the tenth boy to be taken this month!"

"Lord Caylo is in charge of this terra!" the other woman snapped, crossing her arms, "he should be using those sentries of his to figure out what happened to all of those boys!"

"I know!" her companion exclaimed, "Isn't he worried! I mean both of his sons are home! And they're just within the kidnapper's age range."

"Well if Lord Caylo doesn't care!" the woman snapped, "Than I don't think we should either if his boys get taken!"

"Excuse me?" Piper asked, walking up behind the two women, "But what are you talking about?"

"You haven't heard?" One of the women gasped, "Ten young men have been taken in the middle of the night, all of them in their early to late twenties!"

"Do you have any idea as to who is behind it?" Cyclonis asked, walking up beside Piper, with Sora on her heels.

"No," One of the women replied, shaking her head, "Why do you ask anyway?"

"We're members of the Twilight Knights," Piper began, "Not to mention we have a lot of guys around that age on our squadron…And If there's anything we can do to help-"

"There is a weird old lady that lives around town," Her companion interrupted, recalling the information, "Totally strange old bat! Her name's Noah. She just seems off to me…and acts really suspicious all the time. If you are going to investigate, I'd start with her! She lives in a pretty ritzy little place for someone who looks so shabby all the time. It's on the outskirts of town. Trust me, when you find it you'll know."

"Thanks," Cyclonis replied with a nod as the three girls turned away and headed away from the beach and into the town.

"You don't think anything would happen to the boys?" Sora asked, sounding a little scared, "I mean…they'll be okay until tomorrow…right?"

"I'm sure," Piper replied, "I just think it's a little odd that boys are going missing. I mean…doesn't this kind of stuff usually happen to girls?"

"Times are changing," Cyclonis shrugged, "Anyway we should tell Advent and Nova, that is, if they don't already know." Cyclonis continued as the three girls headed up the walkway towards the Caylo estate.

"AAAAAAH!" A high-pitched male scream resounded through the air, coming from the manor.

"What was that!" Sora exclaimed, gripping to Piper as the haunting scream still echoed through the air.

"That sounded like Finn!" Piper exclaimed, taking Sora by the wrist as the trio ran up the steps to the front door of the estate.

"Thank god!" Ravess exclaimed, throwing open the front doors, "Quickly girls! Inside now!" She commanded, quickly ushering the three girls into the foyer of the house, where everyone was standing around, mumbling to one another in a panic.

"What happened!" Cyclonis exclaimed, rushing up to Junko, who looked as though he lost his best friend.

"Finn…has…has…has…" Junko wailed, "Has been kidnapped!"

"How!" Piper exclaimed, looking around at the faces of the twilight knights with concern, "What happened! Did anyone get a good look at who did it?"

"Well Stork did…" Aerrow began, a little uneasily, "But…uh…well…we can't really get him to talk…" Aerrow stated, gesturing to the ghostly pale merb, standing in the corner in between Aida and Innes. His eyes were wide, and he seemed to be twitching.

"It…it was awful…" Stork grumbled, wishing that he didn't recall the event, "He…he was just standing there…" Stork pointed a quaking hand down the hallway that branched out from the foyer, "And…and there it was…"

"What was it!" Sora, Piper, and Cyclonis all exclaimed at the same time.

"That's what we keep asking," Starling stated, "he won't say…"

"It might have been human…" Stork began, keeping his wide and petrified gaze fix on one spot in space, as he gripped Aida and Innes to steady himself, "It…it didn't have a face…and…it…It just took him!" he shouted in hysterics, "It just jumped from the walls and…and took him!" Stork shouted in a paranoia, "What if it comes back!"

"That won't happen," Advent began calmly, "Cyrus and I have put a protective perimeter around the manor. As long as everyone stays inside of the house…you'll all be safe."

"Whatever these things are," Piper then added, "They're only after boys!'

"According to the townspeople," Cyclonis explained, "Finn makes the eleventh that these things have taken."

"Then we need to investigate this!" Aerrow exclaimed, "We should find Finn before it's too late."

"You won't be going anywhere," Ace snapped, turning to him, and then looking to the rest of the men in the squadron, "These things want boys right? Then send the girls out to investigate. Piper, do you think you can head into town. Alert the townspeople and tell them to send every male in town up to the estate. It's the only safe place on the terra."

"No problem," Piper nodded, moving to leave the estate.

"These two women said that they think some old woman is behind it," Cyclonis stated as Piper was leaving the foyer, "They said her name's Noah, and that she lives on the outskirts of town…she sound familiar?"

"The old hag?" Aida asked, walking up beside his brother, "Yeah I think I know who you're talking about. Remember that creepy lady who used to skulk around in the bushes when we used to play outside as kids?"

"I do," Ace nodded, "But what does she want with Finn?"

"I don't know," Advent replied, "But leave the investigating to us females! No point in risking any of your lives for no reason. Cyclonis, Cloud, Sora! Come with me." She gestured heading for the doorway.

"I'm coming with you!" Cyrus exclaimed, rushing towards Advent.

"So are we," Ravess stated as she and Zelkovitz followed Cyrus out of the room as well.

"Fine," Advent stated, "But no one else! I want the rest of you to stay safely behind the walls of the estate…am I clear?"

"Yes Advent!" The remaining knights replied, saluting the women as they left the building.

* * *

"So where exactly does this lady live anyway?" Cloud asked, pushing some brush out of her way and continuing into the forest that stood outside of the town.

"I don't know…" Sora shrugged, walking beside Advent.

"The townspeople we spoke to said that we would know it when we saw it," Cyclonis explained, looking all around the slowly darkening forest. Although they hadn't realized it, they had been searching for this house almost all day, and the sun was beginning to set.

"No doubt that Piper has rallied the townspeople to the estate by now," Zelkovitz stated, cutting through the thick brush before her with her arm blades, "I just hope the protective enchantments you put into place will be powerful enough Cyrus…"

"They'll be powerful enough," Cyrus snapped, readjusting the Zan Bato strapped to her back. Although Cyrus looked more like the fighting type, she was actually a gifted Crystal mage, who could more than hold her own in battle.

"We've been searching out here for hours," Cloud sighed, sounding a little downtrodden, "Are you sure this place exists."

"It has to!" Cyclonis exclaimed, sounding somewhat downtrodden herself, "We have to find Finn…and put a stop to the other kidnappings of course…"

"Well I'd say it's a pretty safe bet that this is the place we're looking for," Ravess suggested, pointing up to the top of the very large hill before them. Upon which was a lovely, and sizable brick house (which was odd, given the oriental architecture of the rest if the terra). The women took note of the strange house, and began heading up the steep and high hill. The sun was just setting over the terra and it was almost dusk by the time they reached the top.

At the top of the hill, they found the charming manor, constructed of brick with white shutters and doors. There was a small, but well maintained garden out front, and the window boxes were overflowing with bright and beautiful flowers. Morning glories snaked up the brick walls of the house, and were closing up for the day. Over all, this seemed to be a very open and friendly place. The women almost immediately dismissed this house as being the home to a kidnapper and a faceless monster.

Advent kindly knocked on the door of the estate, and waited for someone to answer. There came no answer, and she knocked again. Still no answer. She then let out a frustrated sigh as she crossed her arms and stood in front of the door, waiting for the home's owner to either return home or to open the door.

"Can I help you young ladies?" And old woman asked, heading up the hill from behind them. She certainly did appear hag-like, although it was hard to tell, given that she was covered by a ratty old traveling cloak. However, she removed the cloak to reveal a worn but clean coral gown. Around her shoulders was a sage green shawl, and her silver hair was neatly pulled back into a bun.

"Good evening," Advent began, gliding over to the old woman, "You must be Noah. I am Advent Dawnrunner of the Twilight Knights…I have a few questions to ask of you…in relation to a knight of mine that went missing earlier today."

"Of course," Noah began sweetly, opening the door to her home, "Come in, I shall I call for some tea?"

"That would be lovely," Advent replied politely, stepping into the abode, "Thank you." As they stepped into the house however, they were hit with the most awful of smells. It was almost as though the house reeked of death. Not to mention a wave of dread washed over them once they stepped inside.

"Your home is beautiful," Cyclonis coughed slightly, trying to be polite, but trying to ignore the smell as well. Cloud was making an odd growling sound as she glared at the old woman leading them into the parlor of the house. Her ears laid flat against her head and the fur on her tail began to stand up straight and puff out.

"Cloud!" Ravess whispered, "Behave yourself!"

"I feel it too," Sora whispered in worry as she gripped Cloud's hand. Ravess looked to them both and remembered that children and animals were a little more attune to things than humans were. The women followed Noah into the parlor as she gestured for all of them to sit down. Something about the kindly old woman was off-putting, and even though she would never admit it, even Advent was a little perturbed by her.

"Now," Noah began, in a creaky and aged voice, "Tell me about this missing sky knight of yours."

* * *

"And that's everybody!" Piper chimed as she ushered the last of the town's men into the foyer of the Caylo estate.

"Good heavens!" Lady Caylo exclaimed, walking through the crowd of people cluttering her home, "There hasn't been this much excitement on this terra in ages!"

"It's kind of exciting!" Aldese chirped, "It makes me feel like I'm really a part of something!"

"Yeah except our brother's lives are in danger!" Alinai snapped at the ridiculousness of her sister's comment.

"That's not what I meant Ali!" Aldese snapped, placing her hands on her hips.

"Easy you two," Ace began, gently pushing his two sisters apart.

"Are we sure that Cyrus' shield will hold up?" Aerrow asked, looking at the panicked towns men murmuring in the foyer, "I mean…there's a lot of people in here…is it powerful enough to keep us all in and whatever it is chasing us, out?" At that moment, the lights extinguished throughout the house, and the foyer was completely black. A wave of screams came from all those inside.

"Nobody panic!" Nova shouted as Piper frenzied to use her crystal magic to get the lights back on, "I'm sure that it's just a power surge-"

"AAAAAAAH!" A particularly loud scream resounded through the darkness of the foyer. This was followed by another particularly loud scream, and then the lights returned. Nova looked around the crowd and her heart sank when she noticed that Aerrow and Ace were gone.

"Evidently…"Nympherious snickered, "The shield wasn't powerful enough."

"We're all doomed," Stork sighed miserably as he looked down at the ground.

"Nobody is doomed just yet!" Starling snapped, trying to help Nova get a handle on the situation.

"Piper! Fontine!" Nova commanded, "See what you can do about strengthening this perimeter!" Nova commanded, as she withdrew one of her guns.

"And where are you going?" Snipe called as Nova moved to leave the estate.

"It's been hours since the others left!" Nova snapped, throwing open the doors to the house, "I'm going to find out what the hell's going on!"

* * *

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help to you ladies," Noah sighed as she placed an empty tea cup down on the table before her, "But I just haven't seen a young man matching that description…I do hope you find him soon though."

"We're so sorry for wasting your time," Advent sighed, rising up from the table, "But thank you for answering our questions."

"It was my pleasure," Noah smiled, "That is, hosting the esteemed leader of the Twilight Knights and her companions." She continued, moving across the women and gesturing them to leave the house. On their way out, Sora knocked into an old cabinet, causing an old photo to fall off of the top shelf and on to the floor. Sora lifted the old photo up, and didn't think much of it, moving to place it back on the shelf. It was then when she caught a glimpse of what was actually photographed.

"Hey guys," Sora quivered, looking at the photo, "Check this out." In the photo depicted a young man and woman, both in their twenties, standing side by side. Both were smiling, and looked quite happy. The woman looked as though it could have been Noah some seventy years ago, however, the man looked almost exactly like Ace.

"Where did you find that!" Noah hissed, seizing the photo from her.

"You have been kidnapping those boys!" Cloud exclaimed, retracting her claws and jumping towards the old woman, "Where are they!"

"They're right here," Noah smiled sweetly, as ten grey-skinned humanoid creatures emerged from the shadows being cast by the setting sun. Their hands were blackened, tarry, and claw-like, and Stork was right about one things, they had no faces, rather fleshy lumps where their features should have been.

"AAAAH!" Sora screamed, hiding behind Ravess as she laid eyes on the malformed creatures.

"What did you do to them!" Zelkovitz exclaimed, thoroughly sickened by their appearance.

"Anteres Caylo…the father of this Lord Caylo," Noah exclaimed, sounding crazy, "We were lovers! But he married that twat Odessa! Leaving me branded with the scarlet letter! That's why I retreated to this house…to hide my shame! I've been sitting up here for nearly sixty years, plotting my revenge against the Caylos! When I noticed that my lover's prissy little son bore two sons of his own…I thought _how perfect_! Unfortunately Lord Caylo was only proud of one of those two little bastards he spawned…So I set my sights on his precious little Anteres!"

"But he joined the Storm Hawks," Cyclonis snapped, holding her staff at the ready, "I bet that threw a stiff in your plan!"

"It didn't help that he became one of your commanders either Cyclonis!" Noah hissed, glaring at the girl, "but then I got a nice little piece of information. I heard that the Twilight Knights might be stopping by Dol Donnis very soon…although I didn't know when for sure…but one thing was for sure…I couldn't capture lord Caylo's son on my own…I needed some help." She gestured to the grotesque, twitching creatures behind her, "The first boy was easy to lure…I convinced him I was a poor old woman who needed some yard work done…I live in this big old house in the middle of nowhere…who would ever come looking for us!"

"This is sick!" Ravess exclaimed, readying her bow and Arrow, aiming it at one of the creatures, "Look at what you've done to them!"

"Crystal necronomica is amazing…isn't it?" Noah laughed darkly, "A little facial and bodily reconstruction, and a mind control spell or two…and this boy was the perfect minion. However…I didn't think the face through. See, I sent my minion into the town hoping that you twilight knights were in town and hoping to capture Anteres…but every time, my creature brought back the wrong boy. So rather than have him tell the entire town of my exploits…I decided to make them all into my minions!" Noah laughed darkly.

"What about Finn!" Cyrus snapped, "What did he do to deserve this?"

"Your precious little Finn has yet to be transformed," Noah hissed, "And as I told you…my minions don't have the best eyesight…"

"Tell us where he is!" Cyclonis demanded.

"I don't think so," Noah hissed, sending her creatures to attack the women. Immediately, Cyrus unsheathed the Zan Bato and threw it down against the ground, slicing one of the grey creatures in half. However, while they were distracted, Noah slipped away.

"Go after her!" Cyrus demanded of the other women, "I'll take care of these!"

"Not alone you won't!" Zelkovitz growled thrusting one of her arm blades into the head of one of the creatures as Ravess launched one of her arrows through the body if another.

"Likewise," Ravess added, taking another arrow from her quiver.

"Come girls!" Advent exclaimed, as he and the remaining three followed her deeper into Noah's home.

"Which way did she go!" Cloud exclaimed, looking around the dark halls.

"Follow me!" Advent commanded.

* * *

"What do you want with us!" Finn exclaimed, writhing around in an old wooden chair, restrained by old leather straps. He, Ace, and Aerrow were trapped within a musty, damp old stone room. Upon the walls were painted various symbols and dark incantations in a thick reddish liquid, and various types of crystals were sitting upon a wooden bench layed out before them.

"Save it…" Ace grumbled, restrained right by Finn's side, "We're most likely going to die…"

"Die!" Finn squeaked in fear, "I'm too young to die!"

"I don't want it to end like this," Aerrow began, also strapped within an old wooden chair, "Trapped in a creepy old dungeon…"

"Oh come on…" Ace began, "We've lived good lives."

"I'm only eighteen!" Finn shouted in total distress.

"I said _good_…" Ace replied haughtily, rolling his eyes, "Not _long_…" At that moment, Noah hobbled into the room, looking kindly at the three young men.

"What do you want with me!" Finn exclaimed, looking around the room in a panic. Noah let out a slight laugh and looked at him and Aerrow with pity.

"The sad thing is…I don't want either of you," Noah sighed, pointing to the Dark Ace, "My minions were supposed to bring me him…but I suppose you two will make nice editions to my harem."

"You're going to turn us into one of those things!" Aerrow exclaimed, trying to break free from the chair, "That's just sick!"

"You'll be more obedient once your transformation is complete," Noah smiled sweetly, taking a murky orange crystal from the bench and opening a large and musty old book.

"Then what is it you want with me?" Ace began, rather calmly, possibly because he knew that Advent was on her way.

"You…" She began lecherously, circling the chair to which he was strapped, "I am

going to keep you forever…as my obedient little puppet…one who would never leave me! You and I will be lovers forever!"

"Oh…" Ace replied, looking around the room, not expecting that response at all from the haggard old woman, "That's ah…really kind of gross…uhm…you know if Finn or Aerrow is willing to trade…I would much rather be a gray…thing…and you can just take one of them as your…ah…lover…" he continued, gagging on the last of the words.

"This is non negotiable my pet," She smiled, leaning over the chair, their faces only inches apart. Ace pulled his head as far away from her as he could, pushing it hard against the back of the chair.

"Fate worse than death dude…" Finn replied, looking over the old woman with some disgust.

"Don't be so repulsed," Noah stated darkly, "There are seven rather pretty young women walking about this house, and it is quite easy to use my brand of crystal magic to anchor my soul to a new body! So tell me Anteres, which one would you most prefer?"

"How about none of us you creepy witch!" Cyclonis snapped as she, Cloud and Advent burst into the dungeon.

"No!" Noah shrieked, as she held a red crystal in her hands. She waved it in front of her, and a transparent glowing red wall appeared before her, separating the hag from the four women.

"You see," Ace began, pointing to Cloud from his restraints, "At the moment I am committed to her…so this whole relationship is just not going to work out for me…"

"Silence!" Noah hissed holding the orange crystal up to Aerrow and Finn. Their bodies began to glow a murky orange color as both boys began to scream out in pain.

"Let them go Noah!" Advent shouted through the energy wall, "It doesn't have to end this way!" Noah ignored her and thrust the crystal closer to the two boys who screamed in agony.

"We've got to do something!" Sora shouted, trying to break through the wall. It was then when a thin greenish bolt of energy went soaring through the air and collided with Noah's body. In a flash of green light, Noah had disappeared. The red wall then disintegrated and the three girls moved to release the boys from their restraints. They all looked around the room for the origin of the greenish light and saw Nova standing close behind, blowing the smoke away from the barrel of one of her crystal guns.

"I love my port crystal," Nova smiled, taking the green crystal from the barrel and brushing it against her cheek, "The Caylo isles will have no problem with that witch any more…she's halfway to the molten core of atmos by now."

"Way to go Nova!" Sora cheered as the boys rose to their feet, trying to stimulate the circulation back into their limbs.

"How did you know where to find us?" Advent inquired, turning to face her.

"Come on Master A," Nova smiled, thrusting the crystal back into the barrel of her gun, "This is me you're talking about!"

"Are all of those gross grey things gone too?" Finn asked, looking about the room nervously.

"Oh Ravess and the others took care of them," Nova stated, "They were killing off the last of 'em as I got here."

"But what are we going to tell the families of those ten boys?" Cloud asked sympathetically.

"The truth," Aerrow replied with a sigh, "I mean…they all deserve to know what happened to their loved ones."

"Right," Advent nodded, "Then let's not tarry here…we should return to the manor and let all of the townsmen know that they are safe."

"Right," They all nodded, following Advent and Nova out of the dungeon.

* * *

"Hey," Cyclonis began, stepping out on to the wooden deck of the manor. Finn was sitting out on it with a blanket wrapped tightly around his body. It was nearly midnight, but the moon had shown so brightly that it illuminated the deck perfectly, "I wanted to see if you were okay."

"I'm just mildly scarred for life," Finn replied with a slight smile.

"I'm serious," Cyclonis laughed slightly, sitting down next to him, "Are you going to be okay?"

"Well let's just say that every grandma I see in the next couple of years might cause me to have mental breakdowns," Finn replied sarcastically. Cyclonis couldn't help but laugh, seeing as how she knew he wasn't serious, "I'll be fine…you should ask the Dark Ace how he's doing though…I mean ew! I can't believe I'm saying this but…poor guy!"

"Cloud is taking care of that as we speak," Cyclonis replied with a slight smile, "Although I don't think he's all too bothered by it."

"Good," Finn replied with a nod, "Listen…now that we're alone…I mean for good…no interruptions from Aida and that jerk Nympherious…can we talk about-" He continued, but was only to be interrupted by her pressing her lips against his.

"I like you," She finally stated, "but you do talk to much." he said nothing. He just smiled and wrapped her up in the blanket beside him as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I am just gonna say though," Finn then exclaimed, breaking the silence, "I can't wait for this vacation to be over!" To which Cyclonis responded with laughter in agreement.


	27. Chapter 26: The Culling of Terra Rex

[Message from KC]: Another. Long. Chapter. I am sorry…But a lot happens in this chapter :P very plot oriented. Oh and in this chapter we see the other-side for the first time! In case you also haven't picked up on this, The Regiment of Twilight is actually (if you look at it in a more literary sense I.e. comedy or tragedy) this story is a tragedy…very much so. And GARFIDODJFIGBHDGFDBUH! Damn you Silent Hill in all of your survival/horror awesomeness! Yes, this chapter is also quite silent hilly -_- (Guess what! Pyramid head is going to be in the final battle! WHEE! Ew…no…no…NO…I mean could you imagine that! EWWW! I hate Pyramid head…so much…). READ and REVIEW :D (not to mention, we are reaching the end)

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Chapter XXVI.

The Culling of Terra Rex

"I am certainly glad that this is done and over with," Advent sighed, walking up the hatch and on to the Tempest II.

"Yeah," Nova grumbled, walking up behind her as the rest of the Twilight Knights began to drag their things back on to the carrier, "So much for a _nice and relaxing _recovery! I've never been more stressed! I think I need a drink…"

"At least the party was fun," Aru began airily, "Even if things went a little south yesterday…"

"And how awkward was that goodbye," Starling then began, "I can't believe your parents were still convinced that the two of us were and item!"

"I'm sure they've already started planning the wedding," Ace added, rolling his eyes, "Anyway I suppose I should thank you for covering for me."

"I just want to get back to the tasks at hand!" Cyrus scoffed, feeling the vacation was a complete waste of time and letting all of the other knights know it.

"A bit of fighting I feel would put us all to rights," Advent smiled as the hatch to the hangar slowly began to close. The knights waved to the citizens of the town who were quite eager to see them off the next morning.

"On the bright side though!" Finn exclaimed, "We did get a hefty chunk of change from the Dark Ace's dad for getting rid of that witch lady."

"It's about the only good thing that dad has ever done for us!" Aida snapped, placing his hands on his hips.

"Still," Aerrow began, "Lord Caylo was good enough to re-supply the ship, and we could use that money the next time we need to land." He continued as the engines began to roar and the ship took off.

"Alright," Advent then began, addressing the squadron as a whole, "I trust that for the most part, you are all rested and somewhat relaxed. Unfortunately, the sky knights training on terra Anu will be ready for combat soon! This means that we are closer to storming the citadel! And, our squadron could use a bit if training ourselves! Starting today, I want everyone doing their part."

"Yes Master!" Everyone began, saluting as they did so.

"Except the nine of you…" Advent began, pointing to the nine unique knights, "You can come with me…"

"I don't like where this is going…" Junko whispered to Finn as the group followed Advent out of the hangar bay. They followed her silently through the flight deck and on to the elevator platform. Advent pulled the lever and the platform descended. Advent then took the nine teens through the lower level of the ship, and lead them to the Botanica. The large doors parted and she gestured for them to follow her. They obliged and she took them deeper into the gardens.

"I need you all to do something very important," Advent began. She sat down on her knees in the soft grass, and gestured the rest of them to do so. The synthetic breeze blew through their hair as they watched and waited for Advent to speak, "I need you all to sit here…and meditate…" She stated, rising to her feet, and leaving the Botanica.

"Wait!" Aerrow shouted, turning to Advent, "Why are we-" But it was too late. She left the nine teens alone in the botanica with only a set of very cryptic instructions.

"What should we hope to accomplish by meditating?" Cloud inquired, looking at the faces of her fellow companions.

"Advent wants us to meditate," The Dark Ace began, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, "Because she is hoping that by meditating, we'll reach an epiphany and know our places in the Triad…"

"The what?" Finn asked, turning to look at him.

"The Triad…" Ace began, opening one eye to look at him, "I assume that you know what a trinity is?"

"It's a group of three," Piper explained, turning to Finn, "I've been reading up on the Triad and the prophecy involving us. The Triad consists of three trinities, three trinities consisting of three people each-"

"Makes nine of us," Cyclonis then added, gesturing to the group, "But each one of us holds a special place in the Triad. The problem is, our alleged powers won't work unless we all know our places."

"Then what are our places?" Junko asked, turning to Cyclonis and Piper.

"From what I've read about it," Piper began, "And from what we already know, the nine members consist of a ranger, a scryer, a crystal mage, a rogue, a scientist, a grappler, a druid, a dark ace, and a sky knight. I guess Advent wants us to find out what we are."

"We'll it seems to me like it's pretty obvious who's who," Aerrow began confidently, "I'm the sky knight…that's for sure. I'm the only one here who's been rightfully knighted."

"Either Cyclonis or myself is the crystal mage," Piper then added, both girls being viable candidates.

"I'm the only one who could be the druid," Cloud added, looking to the others, "I mean…that seems pretty obvious."

"Sora's our scientist," The Dark Ace then added, "I mean that's why Advent asked her to join the twilight knights in the first place."

"You seem to know an awful lot about Advent," Aerrow interrupted, looking to him suspiciously.

"She talked to me a lot," Ace immediately replied, obviously fabricating this lie for quite some time (just for this very situation), "You know the old myth about how coma patients can allegedly hear you? Well I could. Advent used to come in the infirmary and talk to me before I woke up…" He concluded as he and Stork exchanged looks, "Anyway, my relationship to Advent isn't why we're here…"

"So wait," Junko began, trying to get the conversation back on track, "We know four people…but what about the other five?"

"Well I think _the Dark Ace _is pretty obvious," Stork replied, rolling his eyes.

"But the rouge, the grappler, the scryer, and the ranger?" Piper thought for a moment, "The Grappler has to be Junko!" She explained, "I mean a grappler a fighter right? Like a boxer I mean…so Junko best fits that."

"A Ranger is someone who fights with _ranged _weapons," Ace explained, "Archers…gunmen…that would be Finn."

"And the Rogue leaves Stork," Aerrow shrugged, "I mean that was easy enough."

"Wait," Stork began, sounding a little offended, "How do you know I am the rogue!"

"Because rogues are lying backstabbers…" Ace snapped, turning to him, "Seems to fit your description…"

"Excuse me…" Stork began, turning to him darkly.

"Hey!" Aerrow growled, standing in between the pair, "Enough you two! Come on! The nine of us have to work together on this! Can we at least pretend to like each other!"

"Anyway," Cyclonis added, "We don't know who the crystal mage is for sure…so myself, or even Piper could be the rouge too…and let's not forget about the scryer."

"What's a scryer anyway?" Finn asked, scratching his head.

"It's someone who can predict the future," Piper explained, "or someone who has premonitions, but so far, that's none of us."

"Maybe we should try forming the triad," Sora suggested with a smile.

"What do you mean Sora?" Aerrow asked, turning to the youth.

"Here," Sora began, pulling an old piece of parchment from her handy satchel. She unfolded the large paper, and laid it out neatly on the ground. Upon the paper was a drawing of a large triangle, with three smaller triangles drawn within the tips of the larger one. At the points of each small triangle was a symbol with words written around it, "I found this in Advent's room!" Sora stated proudly.

"Sora…" Ace began, looking to her, "Did…did you _steal _this from Advent's room."

"No," Sora replied, shaking her head, "I borrowed it without asking…"

"Okay…" He sighed, rolling his eyes, "Clearly we're going to have to have another talk about what qualifies as _stealing_…"

"But this is really helpful Sora," Aerrow chimed, even though he wasn't happy with her about taking it.

"Okay," Piper thought looking over, "It says that the three trinities are called _the soul_, _the mind_, and _the body_…"

"The Scryer, the Crystal Mage, and the Druid," Cyclonis continued, pointing to one of the smaller triangles, "They make up _the mind_. Most likely, that's Cloud, you, and myself." She continued, pointing to Piper.

"The body consists of the Grappler, the Rouge, and the Ranger," Ace then continued, pointing to the next trinity, "So Junko, Finn, and most likely Stork…"

"And the soul consists of those of the three of us," Sora then stated, "Gee…you think that God lady would have given us a hint or two about this…it's kinda hard…"

"I think that would have eliminated the purpose," Ace continued, "It has something to do with the Hero's Journey…you know…the protagonists having to uncover certain parts of their destiny…and seeing as how Advent helped us to do some of that that back in chapter three-"

"Now that we've successfully broken the _fourth wall _for the first time in this story," Aerrow interrupted, sounding a little irritated, "Let's get back to the task at hand…"

However, at that moment, sirens began to blare throughout the PA system on the ship. Sora took the parchment and folded it back up, stuffing it into her satchel and following the others out of the botanica. They rushed to the elevator platform which took the nine teens directly up to the flight deck. They rushed inside where they found most of the knights standing in front of the transmission screen. It was showing nothing but static, and the other knights were looking around in confusion.

"What's going on?" Aerrow commanded, looking around the flight deck.

"That was a distress call from Terra Rex…" Nova stated quietly.

"Aida!" Advent commanded, "Set a course! No doubt that my sister's decided another terra needs to go!"

"Not to mention they have no squadron protecting them!" Cyrus snapped, "If we don't hurry those people will be dead in a matter of minuets.

"Then what are we waiting for!" Aerrow commanded.

* * *

The Tempest II landed gently in the arena of Terra Rex. The squadron stepped out into the fog shrouded terra, where a light and gentle snow began to gently fall upon them. The stands were empty, and the terra was deathly silent. Uneasily, they made their way through the arena, and out on to the streets of the terra. It was still just as abandoned, and just as silent.

"The citizens must have evacuated," Advent stated, her rapier in hand, "That or they went to find a shelter…I know for a fact that terra Rex has an underground bunker for just such an occasion…Still…I am sure my sister and her minions are here somewhere…split up and find them." The squadron spread out in every direction, mostly in groups of two and three. Aerrow, Radaar, and Ace found themselves heading down a wide, but shady road, the dark fog making it nearly impossible to see.

"Heehee," The sound of a little girl's giggle echoed through the street. A faint shadow rushed past them about fifty feet away.

"Hey!" Aerrow shouted, moving to chase after the girl.

"Don't!" Ace exclaimed, placing his and on his shoulder and pulling him back, "It could be some sort of trap…"

"Or she could know where everyone is," Aerrow replied, pushing his hand away, "Hey! Hey kid! Come back here!"

"Catch me if you can…" The little girl's voice whispered.

"Aerrow no…" Radaar whimpered, pulling away from Aerrow and gesturing him to move away from the direction of the shadow, "I don't like this…"

"You guys are overreacting!" Aerrow snapped, placing Radaar on his shoulder and heading down the street, towards the direction of the shadow.

"Aerrow!" Ace snapped, fighting his instinct not to go down the street, and chasing after the teen as he disappeared in the fog, "Where did they go?" He asked himself quietly, as he looked around the ever thickening fog.

"This way…" he heard from behind him. He turned and saw the faint outline of a little girl, of maybe five or six, "Don't be scared…" she giggled, before turning away and heading down a dark alleyway. Everything inside of him told him not to follow her, but for some reason, Ace found himself following after the girl. It wasn't before long when he found himself in front of a dead end. Ace let out a sigh of frustration as he turned around and moved to leave the fog-shrouded alley way. However, he found himself face to face with a large brick wall, that was now blocking off the alleyway.

"Impossible!" He exclaimed, feeling the wall, searching for a way out of the area, "What the hell is going on here!" He shouted, his voice echoing through the small brick chamber he was now trapped in.

"You should know by now that nothing is impossible," He heard the voice of the little girl giggle, "You were raised from the dead? Weren't you? Everything in _this _world…and in this life is improbable…but never impossible." She began, stepping out of the fog. She was a small child, of about five, with bright red eyes. Her skin was ghostly white, and her hair was long, fine, and the color of ash. She was wearing a black cotton dress with a white collar, and she had no shoes upon her feet. Although, she looked very clean and well cared for.

"Who are you!" He shouted, looking down at the specter child, "Where are Aerrow and Radaar?" He demanded.

"I lured them away…" She smiled sweetly, "I needed to speak with you alone…as for me…I am just a shadow…the vindictive shade of a tainted innocence…the tormented husk of what is left behind when someone commits the ultimate sin of nature on a child."

"What?" He asked looking down at the small girl.

"You don't recognize me," She asked, tilting her head gently to the side, "But you and I are so much the same…You are my uncle…"

"No," Ace began, shaking his head, fearing that he was having some sort of hallucination, "None of my siblings have children…"

"You are so foolish for a man your age," The child then began, taking a few steps towards him, "Do you and my Aunt not share a soul?"

"How do you know about that!" Ace exclaimed, feeling this was a trap brought on by Cypress, "There's only a few people in this whole world who know about that! And the last time I checked, a little kid wasn't one of them!"

"Think…" The little girl began, "When Cyclonis destroyed your physical body…she also destroyed part of your soul…and you were sent to this place," She continued as the walls ignited around her. Ace watched the frost coated buildings as the fog fade away as the world around them was engulfed in flames. The ground was covered in a clear and foul smelling liquid, which helped to catalyze the fire. Massive flames swelled throughout the blocked alleyway, and surrounded the pair, and they both felt the pressing and exhausting heat, but neither of them were burned.

"What…what is this?" He asked, falling to his knees, "What is this place…"

"Then you do see it?" The little girl asked, "For me…it's always like this…This is what mommy used to call the other-side …a place that parallels our own…but takes a new form depending on whoever is trapped within it."

"Is this…" He panted, looking around at the flames as sweat began running down his face, "Is this the far-side?"

"No…" The little girl replied, unaffected by the flames or the pressing heat, "The far-side is the world between worlds…this world…" She explained, taking a few steps towards him, and placing a hand on his head, "Exists in here…This world is only as horrible as you make it."

"I don't understand," Ace panted, as the fiery world melted away and the pair was back in the blocked off alleyway.

"What was left of your soul was trapped in that world for two years alongside mine," The little girl explained, "Advent pulled you out in order to restore your life, using half of her soul to supplement the half that Cyclonis destroyed…But she needed a new soul to supplement for the one that she had given to you…A young soul…a pure soul…the soul of a child. Advent took part of my soul and bound it to herself, leaving behind all of my envy, my hatred, and my rage."

"Oh my god…" He whispered, kneeling before the girl, "You're Cypress' daughter…Farrah…aren't you?"

"My mother was just as responsible for my death as Advent was," The little girl continued, "And for that…I wish them both dead…"

"But what do you want with me?" Ace asked, his skin still drenched with sweat, "What can I do?"

"All I want is justice," Farrah explained, "You were brought back from the grave to destroy my mother…but at the price of a child's life…I cannot haunt either, for Cypress did not commit the act herself, and Advent transferred all of her regret, guilt, and remorse into your half of the soul…I can not appear before them."

"Justice?" Ace asked, looking at the girl at eye level, "What do you mean?"

"Revenge," Farrah stated, "Take me with you, and when the time is right…kill the Dawnrunner sisters, Advent and Cypress."

"I can't," He exclaimed, pulling away from the child, "I won't!" It was then when Farrah gestured him to rise. He did so, standing high above the small girl.

"I have been waiting for you for two years," Farrah stated, "Advent is not the perfect woman whom you Twilight Knights believe that she is. For centuries the Dawnrunners have denied their own souls, denied their own fate…But we are now towards the end of this world, and all those within it and the Twilight Knights shall all reap what they have sown in the fields of their demise…"

"Just tell me what I have to do," He replied quietly.

"Advent's devotion to her faith," She explained, "And my mother's blind conviction also repels me from their dwellings…" She continued, holding her arms out towards him. He stood still, "But you must do one last thing for me as well."

"What?" He asked, taking a step back from the child.

"There is another child in the Twilight Knights," Farrah explained, "A girl by the name of Sora…she is not what she seems either…The girl is dangerous and not of this world…you must send her back to where she belongs."

"I don't understand," He replied shaking his head. Farrah just smiled at him as she moved closer and closer.

"You will my dearest Uncle," She smiled, wrapping her small arms around his torso, "In due time…now carry my forgotten spirit with you…" She whispered, as the remnants of her visage began to melt and fade away, seemingly seeping into Ace's body. He gagged and convulsed as the haunted spirit of the girl passed into his body. The last of Farrah's image sunk into his skin and he stood, alone in the cold chamber, gripping his stomach. His body seized for a few moments as he fell to his knees and retched on to the ground. It was then when everything went black.

* * *

"Advent!" Piper exclaimed, rushing up to Advent and Cyrus standing amidst the square on Terra Rex. Cyclonis and Sora were close on her heels as she rushed up to the Knight's leader, "We didn't find anyone."

"Terra Rex has been abandoned…" Cyclonis explained, "Nova searched the underground bunker as well…there's no one to be found."

"Guys!" Aerrow shouted, rushing into the square.

"The Dark Ace is missing!" Radaar shouted, clinging tightly to Aerrow's shoulder.

"He is actually missing?" Cyrus snapped, turning to him, "Or you were separated?"

"He's gone!" Aerrow exclaimed, "We saw a little girl running through the streets and Radaar and I went after her. But the minuet we turned the corner, she was gone! We went back right after though, and the Dark Ace was gone!"

"Advent!" Nova's voice called from the communicator in her hands, "Advent! Please come in! It's important!"

"Yes Nova," Advent began, speaking into the device.

"Gather the squadron back at the carrier now!" Nova called in a panic.

"It was a set up!" Snipe's voice then sounded through the device, "Cypress tricked us! This whole thing was a distraction! She's headed towards Atmosia!"

"No!" Advent shouted, closing the communicator, "All of you back to the ship! Now! I'll find the Dark Ace."

"No need…" He growled, stepping out of a nearby alleyway. He looked sickly, pale, and was drenched in sweat.

"Good heavens!" Advent exclaimed, looking to him, "What on earth happened to you!"

"I'm fine…" Ace growled, pushing past the group, "I just blacked out for a minuet…no doubt it's from the resurrection…" he continued walking through the square, when he noted that the rest of the group was staring at him with concern and some fear, "What are you all waiting for!" He snapped, "Cypress is about to unleash all hell on Atmosia and you're just standing there!" He shouted.

The group then scrambled as they all rushed back through the square and towards the Tempest II. Before he could leave the scene however, Ace felt Advent's hand fall gently upon his shoulder. He turned to look at her briefly, as something sinister sparked in his eye and Advent took a step away.

"What happened Anteres?" She asked him quietly.

"It's really nothing," He replied haughtily, pulling away from her. The two rushed out of the square and headed back towards the ship. The vessel was already partially in the air when they reached it, and Nova and Snipe were standing on the opened hatch, holding their arms out towards the pair, as Advent and Ace seized them, and were pulled up into the opened hatch.

"Nova!" Advent called above the roar of the engines and the wind whipping through the opened hangar bay, "What on earth happened here?"

"The citizens of the terra were evacuated hours ago!" Nova replied, yelling over the sound as well, "They radioed us a few moments ago to tell us that they followed _your_ specifications exactly and are heading towards Atmosia. Advent…Cypress posed as you to get the citizens to flee from Terra Rex!"

"The distress call from here was a fake too!" Snipe added.

"No doubt she wants all of the citizens of this terra to convene on Atmosia so she can wipe them all out at once!" Ace stated, "You know, cull the people of both terras at the same time!"

"Killing two birds with one stone," Nova shouted, "That sick bitch…"


	28. Chapter 27: The New Council

[Message from KC]: Okay so this chapter isn't too long. Anyway, drama! Woohoo! Drama! And I will say, for as short as this chapter is, it's got some pretty relevant stuff in it! Anyway, I hope you like it. More to come soon I hope. We have five chapters and the epilogue left so I will get my brain in gear and start writing more and more (I can guarantee that the last chapters won't be put out this quickly though XD)

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Chapter XXVII.

The New Council

The Tempest II immediately departed from Terra Rex and flew over towards Atmosia. The closer they arrived to Atmosia, the more the Obsidian sanctum overtook and dwarfed the image of the once proud terra. Dark and frigid clouds hung overhead, letting fourth a soft and gentle snow, which seemed to fall softer and softer as they approached the terra. It was almost as though they were heading into the eye of the storm. They finally reached the shipyard and landed the vessel, the knights immediately departing, and looking for any signs of suspicious activity.

Advent strode down the open hatch of the hangar bay, and on to the surface of the shipyard with her squadron following close behind. She looked around curiously as nothing seemed to be amiss. She looked up at her sister's palace. It did not stir, nor did she sense anything.

"Advent Dawnrunner?" An unfamiliar voice asked haughtily and contemptuously, "Leader of the Twilight Knights? That is you, am I mistaken?"

"I am Advent," She began, turning to look at the voice. She watched as the Sky Knight Council headed in her direction, although, the former head of the Council was not amongst them, "But who might I ask, are you?" She inquired directing her attention to the man seemingly leading the council. The rest of the squadron looked to him and they began whispering and mumbling amongst themselves.

"My name is Leopold Archer," He explained, "I am the new Head Councilman of the Sky Knight Council…" He was young for a Sky Knight Councilman, tall and fit, maybe thirty at the most. He had a fair complexion, and dark navy hair that was slicked back out of his face. He had dark grey eyes that stared at the Sky Knights with a lack of respect or interest. His clothes were a deep cerulean, and judging by the quality of them, he was using the taxpayer's money and his new position at the council to his advantage.

"What happened to the old head councilman?" Advent asked contemptuously, taking an instant dislike to this man.

"Exactly that," He explained, giving Advent an arrogant little smile, "He was the _old_ head councilman…He met with his unfortunate death while you Twilight Knights were off on your frivolous vacation…or _recovering from the plague_, as you had put it Advent…"

"Leopold was it?" Advent began haughtily, "Yes…you shouldn't address me in such an informal manner. To _you_, I am Lady Dawnrunner of the Twilight Knights!"

"And to _you_…" Archer snapped, "I am Head Councilman Archer…"

"We've got enough to deal with," Ace whispered, standing amongst the other of the nine guardians, "The last thing we need is some hot headed bastard with a complex standing in our way of what's really important."

"Anyway," Archer began, rolling his eyes at Advent, "The Council and I have urgent business to discuss with you and your squadron. It has come to my understanding that you've been getting away with quite a bit of illegal activity."

"Yes!" Nova shouted, pushing her way into the conversation, "But only by the permission of this council!" She growled.

"Please get a handle on your lieutenants Advent…" Archer scoffed, not bothering to look at Nova.

"Did…" Nova began, completely dumbstruck, "Did he just-"

"Nova…" Snipe began cautiously, placing a hand on the shoulder of his short-tempered significant other, "Just let it go…"

"Oh so you're her keeper then," Archer began rudely, turning to Snipe.

"Oh hell no!" Nova shouted, moving to throw her fist in Archer's face, only to be stopped by Snipe, "If you think I am gonna take this crap from some mousy little councilman, you've got another thing coming you punk!"

"Nova," Advent smiled, turning to her, "It's quite alright…I will hear what you have to say…Shall we convene in the Council building?"

"No," Archer replied sarcastically, "I thought we might do so out here in the cold…" Advent turned away from him.

"You need not be so indecorous Head Councilman," Advent began, shooting him a dark look as she turned to her squadron, "Nova, Cyrus, and Aerrow…come…we have much to discuss…" The three nodded as they followed Advent and the Sky Knight council off of the shipyards. However, Aerrow felt an uncomfortable sense of nervousness he had never felt before as he was leaving with them. After all, no one knew of Advent's intentions to have him take over the Twilight Knights, and as he left he heard the whispering and the murmuring begin.

"Why is Aerrow so important!"

"Why doesn't she just bring all nine of them?"

"What makes him more special than the other eight?"

"Gee, Advent seems to favor him a bit…doesn't she?"

"Yeah definitely! More than her own daughter even!"

"I don't like where this is going," Cyclonis then stated once the council had disappeared.

"No kidding!" Finn snapped, "I don't trust that Archer prick as far as I can throw him!" He scoffed, immediately followed by a punch in the arm from Piper, "What!"

"Watch your mouth Finn!" She snapped, nodding towards Sora.

"You don't think," Junko then began, as the other Twilight Knights began their own gossip around them, "That anything is going to happen to Aerrow, or Advent…do you?"

"No of course not," Cloud smiled weakly, not really knowing for sure, "I mean…this is Advent we are talking about! She wouldn't let anything happen to any of us…besides even if she was in any trouble, the council would just overlook it until Cypress was gone."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Ace added, shaking his head, "That Archer guy looked like he was out for blood…something tells me that today is not going to end well for any of us Twilight Knights…" At that moment, a carrier flew over their heads and landed next to the Tempest II within the shipyard. The other Twilight Knights looked to it curiously as Nikolai headed in the carrier's direction.

"It's one of ours," Nikolai stated calmly, as he looked at the transport curiously, watching as the hatch opened, "But I don't recall Advent calling for the assistance of any other sub-squadrons…"

"That's because this isn't a sub squadron!" Jynx shouted from standing upon the opened hatch, "Reinforcements have arrived everybody! Fresh from training on Terra Anu!" Upon seeing the grey rabkin's face and hearing the news, the other Twilight Knights breathed a much needed sigh of relief as many a familiar squadron descended the platform.

"Check it out!" Finn exclaimed, pointing to the many new recruits heading down the opened hatch, all adorning new black and azure uniforms to match the Twilight Knights, "It's Tritonn!"

"Oh my gosh!" Piper laughed, watching the other Sky Knights head off of the carrier, "And look! It's Dove and the rest of the Rebel Ducks! And there's Suzi-Lu! When Advent said every squadron in Atmos…she really meant it!"

"These guys are all sky knights!" Sora asked with amazement, as she sat upon Junko's shoulders, "This is so cool!"

"What's eating you?" Cloud asked, noticing Ace out of the corner of her eye. He didn't look all too happy to see every sky knight squadron in Atmos heading his way, but Cloud had a feeling it there was more to it.

"Nothing," He replied, shaking his head, looking to the obsidian sanctum out of the corner of his eye, "It's nothing…" This of course was a lie. He, like a few of the other knights, knew that the end of the training on terra Anu marked the beginning phases of the assault on Terra Anu. He knew that this only meant one thing. Casualties, and lots of them.

* * *

"This is outrageous!" Nova shouted, ready to tear the council building to pieces, "You want to rescind the Twilight Knight's certification as a squadron! You can't do that!"

"I can," Archer replied playfully, gently tugging at the pages of the Sky Knight registry, taunting her with the idea of pulling it out, "And I will…"

"This is ridiculous…" Aerrow then added, "The Storm Hawks weren't officially a real squadron either, and if you recall, it was thanks to us that Atmos is Cyclonian-free."

"True," Archer replied haughtily, "But Advent was never rightfully knighted…"

"That's a lie!" Cyrus hissed, immediately jumping to Advent's defense.

"Advent must be a knight in order to lead a Sky Knight squadron," Archer replied, feeling all to confident, "And sadly there is no Advent Dawnrunner in the registry."

"…but there is an _Aerrow _in the registry…" Nova then stated after a few moments of silence. The group then turned to look at her curiously, "What if we registered the Twilight Knight brigade under Aerrow as our leader? Then you would have no reason to penalize us as a squadron!"

"Exactly!" Cyrus shouted, taking Nova's side for the first time in her life, "It's perfect! And the four of us combined can give you the names of every single twilight knight for the registry!" The older councilmen mumbled and muttered to themselves before nodding in agreement.

"Fine," Archer hissed, handing over the registry to the four. Aerrow took the quill and signed it promptly. A bit of nostalgia washed over him as he realized that he was now a member of an official squadron that, only by a technicality, he would be the leader of. He then passed the registry and the quill to Advent, who signed it promptly and began filling in the names of all of her knights.

"This could be quite a process," Advent smiled arrogantly, looking up at Archer, "After all, we have many, many, many sub squadrons…"

"That is fine by me," Archer replied haughtily, "Besides we have more to discuss here anyway…"

"More?" Aerrow, Nova and Cyrus exclaimed, looking to Archer in disbelief.

Meanwhile, back on the shipyard, the newest additions to the Twilight Knights were introducing themselves to the esteemed brigade one. It didn't take the Storm Hawks long to reunite with several old friends.

"It's good to see you Suzi-Lu!" Piper exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the Blizzarian, "I can't believe that you're actually a Twilight Knight now!"

"Neither can I!" Suzi replied with a slight laugh, "I gotta tell you though, you Twilight Knights sure have some fancy duds, Eh!" She smiled, admiring her new uniform.

"Hey Dove!" Junko smiled, as she headed towards them also.

"'Allo Storm 'Awks!" Dove smiled, looking pretty sharp herself, now that she wasn't wearing a pot on her head, "It is zo good to zee you again zo soon! Where is Aerrow?" She then added, noting that he was not amongst them.

"With the Sky Knight council!" Sora chirped, from sitting upon Junko's shoulder, "Oh yeah! And I'm Sora by the way! Nice to meet ya!"

"Or at least we thought he was with the council," Finn explained, pointing to the three figures walking towards them in the distance. Aerrow, Nova, and Cyrus were quickly heading towards the group, all three of them looking panicked.

"Where's Advent…" Cyclonis asked quietly, noting that she was not with them.

"Problem!" Aerrow exclaimed, rushing up to Nikolai, "Big, BIG problem!"

"Well what is it!" Ravess exclaimed, as the rest of the Knights reduced their volume to a dull roar.

"They've arrested Advent!" Nova exclaimed, "For illegally taking a runeologist from terra Wyndia!"

"WHAT!" The knights began shouting in anger, confusion, and panic, "They've got to be kidding! How could they do this! Now, of all times!"

"What should we do!" Starling shouted, trying to get the group to calm back down as she turned to the higher-ups.

"You're second in command Nova," Nikolai stated, "Technically speaking…this falls on you."

"Not anymore," Nova stated, shaking her head, "Only by technicality…Aerrow is the new leader of the Twilight Knights."

"WHAT!" The Knights shouted again, a roar of angry shouts filling the air.

"Now wait!" Aerrow snapped, turning to Nova, "I'm only the leader because we needed an official Sky Knight to make us all official! You're still in charge around here, Nova. This is your time to prove yourself."

* * *

"You think it wise to arrest Advent!" One of the councilmen stated as the Sky Knight council deliberated later on.

"Advent is a lawbreaker who needs to realize that her existence is not as relevant as she thinks it is," Archer stated darkly, "Now leave me be…all of you…I have business to attend to." The other councilmen left, and Archer was now alone in the council building.

"It's alright Anaxagoras," Archer smiled darkly, "You can come out now…" He stated. A figure then began to emerge from the shadows on the wall behind him, and soon, the white haired minion of Cypress was standing in his midst.

"You can drop the act now…" Anaxagoras scoffed, looking away from the young man. Archer turned to him and smiled darkly.

"Good," Archer laughed as a wave of white light passed over his body, "Now I can slip back into this perfect form!" He laughed as the light dissipated and Archer's image was replaced by Meno's.

"You were just supposed to stir things up Meno…" Anaxagoras snapped, "How is Master Cypress supposed to kill Advent now that you've put her in prison?"

"Oh please," Meno laughed, leaning over the table before her, "That's like practically handing Advent to the Master on a silver platter…all she has to go in and-" Meno laughed, dragging her finger across her neck.

"You know that's not what Master Cypress wants," Anaxagoras snapped, walking towards her, "She wants to defeat Advent in battle."

"Fine," Meno snapped, "Then I'll change back into Archer and release her on a technicality tomorrow…killjoy."

"Good!" Anaxagoras snapped, gently pushing Meno aside. It was then when someone accidentally stumbled through the cracked doorway of the room. It was one of the older councilmen. He looked up at Anaxagoras and Meno with some horror, and moved to run away. Meno then snapped her fingers as a wall of water blocked the old man's exit.

"Thank you Anaximander," Meno smiled as the wall of water took a human form.

"Who are you demons!" The old councilman shouted, looking at the three faces in a panic, "Where is Leopold Archer!"

"What should we tell him?" Anaxagoras asked casually, pulling a strand of white hair out of his face.

"The truth," Meno laughed, "Archer is dead, he has been for quite some time now…but then again he was easy to eliminate…that and your former head councilman…sadly we can't leave you behind to tell the tale." She stated as Anaximander resumed his liquid form and surrounded the old man.

"Drowning is such a horrible way to go…" Anaxagoras watched with a sick smile painted across his lips as he watched the old man struggle and gasp for breath, "Wouldn't you say so?"

"I kind of miss Skyler though," Meno sighed, "Where as Anaximander's kills are cleaner…Skyler's were at least done and over with quickly…it's going to be at least another minuet before this old fool dies."

"It's such a shame that she had to have morals," Anaxagoras sighed.


	29. Chapter 28: Mother

**[Message from Kingdom Come]: **Okay so we have four chapters and the epilogue left before volume one is done! Okay so **PLEASE **read this message before you read the chapter. Okay so **warning**…this chapter, for lack of a better word, is absolutely f*cked! It's pretty much a villain development chapter, and uhm…well it's just really, really deranged, some of the things that go on in this chapter might be a little…intense…so you know, just warning you…Let's just say Cypress is loosing her grip on reality and totally looses her f*king mind (I know…I have to use censors now…just don't ask…)

* * *

Chapter XXVIII.

Mother

"And so the world spins onward," Cypress sighed, staring down at Atmosia from upon the large balcony that extended fourth from her throne room. She could barely see the citizens from where she stood, but she was certain that they could see her. It would be hard to ignore the visage of the one who held your fate in their hands, even if the view of her was so high up.

"Meno has arrested Advent," Anaxagoras stated darkly, walking up to his master from within the throne room, "Although I'm sure you figured that out by now…"

"Advent will find a way around this," Cypress stated calmly, continuing to look out into the distance, "She always does."

"You're not…" Anaxagoras began, turning to look at Cypress, "…angry with Meno…are you?"

"You're not jealous of Meno?" Cypress then replied coldly, "Are you? Oh Anaxagoras you are trite little thing aren't you?" She sighed, turning away from him and heading back into the throne room.

"You say so," Anaxagoras replied, looking over Cypress lecherously, "But the way you act is contrary to that…" He began gently placing his hands on her shoulders. He pulled back the clothes around her neck, and began gliding his lips over her pale skin. His lips crept up to her ear, and he gently began to nibble on her soft skin.

"mmm…" Cypress moaned, reaching up for Anaxagoras' neck, "Oh Anaxagoras…my sweet little fool…" She sighed as he ran his pale hand gently down her shoulders, then to her chest, across her torso, and in between her legs, "You never seem to fail to know exactly what it is that I want from you…"

"Of course," Anaxagoras replied quietly, pressing his face against her soft white hair and taking in a long and deep breath as he did so, staring down at her with bedroom eyes, "You aren't so hard to figure out Master…"

"Am I?" She asked quietly, gently pushing him away, "Am I so easy to read? So easy to decipher…"

"No…" Anaxagoras replied, shaking his head, and thoroughly irritated by her dismissal of him, "I am simply putting that you are easy to please Master…"

"Is that so?" Cypress asked, turning back to him, "I wasn't aware…"

"Is something the matter Master?" Anaxagoras inquired, noting her odd behavior.

"…Be in my bedchamber in twenty minuets…" Cypress stated coldly and flatly, I want you to be _ready _by the time I get there…"

"Of course Master," Anaxagoras replied with a pleased smile across his lips, "As you wish." He concluded before turning around and leaving the throne room.

"If your sister isn't allowed to have a lover," A voice asked curiously, echoing off of the walls, "Then why is it that you do?" Cypress turned in a frenzy to see that Jevanni was standing in her midst.

"What do you want!" Cypress hissed, looking hatefully at the brood mother of all valkyries. Jevanni looked towards her daughter with sad eyes and shook her head, "Leave here! NOW!"

"You poor thing…" Jevanni sighed, looking to her child, "You were such a sweet thing…what happened to you my little flower?"

"I am not your flower!" Cypress hissed, looking wild with fury at the Valkyrie's presence, "You hate me! You always have and you always will! You always preferred Advent to me!"

"That's not true…" Jevanni smiled sweetly, taking a few steps towards Cypress, "I love you Cypress, just as a mother should love her little girl."

"Liar," Cypress whispered, looking away from her, "…you think I am a monster…I know you do…"

"My little girl," Jevanni whispered, wrapping her arms around Cypress, "A monster? No…never…I just wonder where I went wrong? I raised you and all of your sisters right, gave you all equal love…I just don't understand Cypress…" She sighed, turning Cypress around to look at her, "I suppose some souls are just born corrupted…and that there is nothing that anyone can do…"

"Mother…" Cypress began quietly, choking on her words, "No…y-you…you love me…don't you?"

"How could anyone love such a mistake…" Jevanni smiled, looking down at Cypress as she collapsed to the floor, "How could anyone love such a horrible creature. You hate your own sister so much…and you didn't even love your daughter enough to protect her…you're a failure Cypress. A failure as a mother, as a sister, and as a daughter…"

"SHUT UP!" Cypress screamed, reaching to seize Jevanni's neck to strangle her, but the moment she was about to wrap her fingers around her neck, Jevanni's image disappeared. Cypress took a step back, and looked around the room, her hands trembling and her legs shaking.

_Am I loosing my mind…_ Cypress thought quietly, gripping the roots of her white hair. She moved to leave the throne room, her eyes affixed on the floor, when something caught her eye. She turned around violently to observe her throne. Sitting upon it, was Advent. Sitting at her side, was Cyclonis, who was gently resting her head on her mother's knee. Cypress was sure this time that she was delusional, but wasn't sure why everyone was beginning to appear before him now.

"Cypress…" Advent sighed, running her fingers through her daughter's hair, "What happened to you indeed…you and I used to be friends if you recall. But I suppose that you were just a bad seed."

"Silence Advent!" Cypress hissed, "You're no better than me-"

"To the contrary," Advent replied contemptuously, "My children have all lived long and healthy lives, and some," She continued, lifting Cyclonis' head up to look at her by the chin, "Are still alive…where's your's?"

"Shut up!" Cypress screamed, her shouts echoing through the hall, "How dare you all blame me for what happened to my daughter!"

"But you're just as responsible as I am," Advent sighed, looking at her sister with sad eyes, "Did you not trap her in that awful place to keep her _safe_? You left her there, and never once went back for her. My killing her was practically a mercy killing…it's a pity that you don't see it that way…"

"Just leave me alone Advent…" Cypress hissed, looking away from both of the visions.

"You are such a disappointment Cypress," She then heard Advent sigh. Cypress let out a growl and turned back around to look at her, but she and Cyclonis were gone. Cypress let out a cry as she slid down to the ground.

"WHY!" She cried, looking around the dark chamber, "Why this torment! Why now! What have I done to warrant it! Someone tell me!"

"You're a murderer…" A different voice began. Cypress took a deep breath as she rose to her feet, turning to look at the specter's face. The vision she saw now was that of Anteres Caylo, or the Dark Ace. Standing at his side, was a small child she knew very well. It was Farrah, "Does the one life that Advent took from you make up for the hundreds of lives that you took? The families that you usurped? You will never be able to recall half of the faces of your victims, but the families and loved ones of those victims will remember you, and they will not know peace until you are dead."

"Another hypocrite…" Cypress hissed, looking towards his image, "You're a filthy murderer yourself! How dare you come here and act so holier than thou!"

"Cypress," Ace began, shaking his head, "You are to blame for every life I took…after all, wasn't I under the command of the young woman who was under your control. Your niece that is…it's safe to say that _you _have made the murderer of me…"

"Shut up!" Cypress hissed, "Shut up!"

"You were in control of Cyclonis the knight I was killed," Ace added, "Weren't you? Had I not died in the first place…Farrah would still be alive."

"No!" Cypress wailed, "It's not true!"

"Do not be so modest mother…" Farrah began softly taking a few steps away from Ace and towards Cypress, "Wasn't this what you wanted? Respect, rule, and loyalty. Well you have it now mother…although it was obtained through fear, the point is that it was obtained. And even though you lost your family in the process of doing so, your mother, your sister, and your daughter, you still have it. Was it worth it mother? You're one genocide away from having all of your dreams come true."

"Oh Farrah…" Cypress cried, falling to her knees as she looked to her fallen daughter, "I never meant for any harm to come to you…I loved you!"

"No mother," Farrah replied sadly, "You loved the _idea_ of me…you didn't love me like you should have." she concluded, walking back towards Ace, "He and I…" The child began, looking up to him, "We are one in the same…both innocent lives that you have destroyed with your blind ambition…be proud of what you have created mother! This debacle that you will soon call your reign is something that should be celebrated."

"No!" Cypress shouted, turning to the pair, only to find that their images were now both gone. She trembled as she collapsed to the ground. Her quivering hand reached for the glowing reliquary at her side, "You!" She screamed, holding tightly to the object, "All of this! This is your fault! Fix it! Fix everything!" It was then when a thin greenish mist seeped from the artifact and eventually swelled into a thick greenish smoke, clouding and enveloping Cypress. She let out a scream that echoed through the sanctum as the haze consumed her.

* * *

"I was wondering if you were coming Master Cypress," Anaxagoras then began, looking to her as she stormed into her bedchamber, a cold, dark, and seemingly lonely room. Anaxagoras was unclothed, the lower half of his body covered by the dark sheets of Cypress' bed. She said nothing. She just stared at him as she slowly stepped into the room. With every step she took, she lost an article of her clothing until she was completely naked as well. She climbed on to the bed leaned forward, and began kissing him.

"Open your mouth…" She demanded, as Anaxagoras would not do so, "I said open your mouth." She commanded again. He obliged, and Cypress thrust her tongue inside as she closed her eyes, "My sweet little fool…" She whispered as she pulled away from him for a moment. She then opened her eyes, and saw that Anaxagoras was not before her, but rather, the Dark Ace. She gasped as his image laid back, smiling at her darkly. She closed her eyes and shook her head, opening them again to reveal Anaxagoras, who was looking at her in confusion.

"Are you alright my Master?" He asked, placing a pale hand on her face.

"I'm fine!" Cypress snapped, throwing his hand off of her. She them violently pushed him back down against the bed, crawling on top of him. He smiled at her lecherously once more, as he seized her body, and threw her back down against the bed as he climbed on top of her, his arms and legs straddling over her body. She closed her eyes as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, biting at every inch of skin he could get a hold of, as he initiated the act. However, within seconds, it was almost as though Anaxagoras had vanished. She opened her eyes to reveal that he was now gone. She opened her mouth as though to speak, but no words came out. She went to lift her body up from the bed, but found she could not do so either. Her eyes darted about the room in a panic as she felt paralyzed. It was then when she saw someone lean over the bed to look at her face. She watched in some horror and confusion as she noted that the figure looming over her, was herself.

"Lets do the world a favor shall we?" her mirror image smiled, as she took one of the pillows from Cypress' bed, and held it tightly down over the face of the laying Cypress.

"NO!" Cypress screamed, shooting up from her bed, and looking around the room in a panic. She was alone, quivering and trembling as she broke out in a cold sweat. She took deep and heavy breaths as she ran her trembling hands through her white hair. He heart was pounding, and it felt as though it was going to burst fourth from her chest. She looked to the glowing green reliquary that was sitting on a marble pedestal across from her bed. The item had brought her nothing but trouble since she had obtained it, and yet she couldn't find it within herself to rid herself of the accursed artifact. She then heard the doors of her room creak open, as the red-haired Anaximenes cautiously entered the room.

"Is everything alright in here Master?" He asked cautiously, "I heard a scream."

"W-where is Anaxagoras!" She commanded, still trembling, looking to Anaximenes as though she was crazed.

"He is overseeing Meno at the Sky Knight Council," He responded, uneasily, sensing something was terribly wrong with Cypress, "As you had commanded…Master Cypress are you sure you're-"

"I'm fine!" She screamed, "Now get out!" She commanded. Anaximenes stood still, looking at her with fear and confusion, "I said GET OUT!" She screamed, pointing in the direction of the door, as he quickly rushed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"I-It was just a dream…" Cypress said quietly to herself, her eyes darting about the room, as she gripped her chest in a hope of calming her rapid heart palpitations, "All of it…just a dream…"

_Get a hold of yourself you useless twat!_ A voice hissed within her head, _I will not stand for your foolish mortal weakness!_

"Of course…" Cypress whispered to herself, rising from the bed, and moving to put on her gown, "I mustn't be so weak…" She whispered, hanging the glowing green reliquary gently on her hips, "I mustn't be so weak…"

* * *

**[End Chapter Notes]:** So as we can see...Cypress has a bit of inner turmoil going on in her sick little head and she is just really f*king crazy. I think it is safe to say that she is a schizophrenic, or some variation on that. And to clarify, no the Dark Ace, Advent, Farrah, and the Goddess Jevanni did not all sporadically just appear before Cypress, she was just having paranoid delusions about some people, and they were all basically telling her things that Cypress is either A. Too much of a coward to admit to or B. shedding some light on some of the things she has inadvertantly done. Also, sorry about the random and kind of creepy sex/smothering sequence...just a little something I threw in to prove how crazy Cypress is becoming. I will update soon...less crazy pyscho-ness and more action/plot to come!


	30. Chapter 29: The Culling of Atmosia

**[Message from Kingdom Come]:** I'd like everyone to know that my shift key is still messed up -_- I have no money to fix it…I keep spending my paychecks on useless commodities like food and toothpaste…Not to mention I fell down a staircase a little more than a week ago, and messed up my foot, so I've been out of work for quite a bit and have no money to show for on my paychecks…and uhm…yeah so don't complain about my horrible non-capitalization…it's not my fault guys -3- Without revealing too much, I would like to thank Mahou Shoujo Crystalic Katomi for giving me this idea ages ago on one of her reviews a while back!

Also! Rejoice my Regiment readers, I have started a Silent Hill fanfic/side project! Alright! So I will now be deflecting all of my dark morbidity on to that story, and we can remove all of the silent hill-ness from this one! Yay! (unless you like the dark morbidity? Idk, tell me in a review I guess :/)

Lastly! I have pictures up on my deviantArt account of some regiment of Twilight stuff (most likely everyone who is reading this has already visited…but I just figured I'd tell everybody again anyway…) the link is on my profile page (while you're at it, you should also vote at the poll on my profile if you haven't already done so :D) Message over...

* * *

Chapter XXIX.

The Culling of Atmosia

"So we begin the assault on the sanctuary in less than twelve hours," Nova stated, leaning over the tabletop map of Atmos within the flight deck of the ship. She had made the conscious decision to lead the assault despite Advent's absence. She figured, that it was what Advent would have wanted her to do. And although she would never admit it, Nova was not a leader, and the prospect of leading a squadron the size of a small army into battle, it terrified her, "In the meantime we need to prepare. Starling, status report."

"Piper, Cyclonis, and Fontine are breaking down the Aurora stone as we speak," Starling stated, "There should be enough to arm every Knight within our squadron and then some."

"Good," Nova nodded, turning then to Cyrus, who was standing at her right side. Cyrus did not look at all pleased with the fact that Nova was now running the twilight knights. She made an effort not to make eye contact with her during the briefing, "How are our rides fixed then?" She inquired.

"Jean is making sure each vehicle is up to code and ready to fly," Cyrus stated coldly, continuing to look away from Nova. Although, at this point, Nova could have cared less about Cyrus' actions towards her. She had bigger and better things to worry about than the feelings of her petty rival.

"Good," Nova sighed, looking down at the map, as though staring at it would change anything, "Then you are dismissed…" She stated, moving to exit the flight deck. She reached the door to the hangar bay before she was stopped.

"Where are you going?" Cyrus commanded, crossing her arms and watching Nova disdainfully.

"I'm going to break Advent out of the Atmosia stockades," Nova stated with a confident smile, as she turned away from the two women, "As much as I hate to say it, we need Advent on this one…" Cyrus let out a sigh as she shook her head, looking down at the floor as Nova left the flight deck.

"Nova is right," Cyrus nodded, making sure that Nova was out of earshot before saying so, "We can't win this fight without her…"

"I hope for all of our sakes," Starling then stated quietly, "That she _is _right…"

Nova strode in to the hangar bay, walking past every knight who saluted her promptly. She ignored them all and went directly to her ride. She climbed on to it, and began revving the engine.

"Someone open the hatch," Nova commanded. Jean looked to her in confusion, but seeing as how now, Nova was first in command, he did so anyway. The hatch opened, as Nova immediately drove down the airstrip, extended the wings of her skimmer, and flew off into the air.

Not too far from where the ship had been floating, she could see a small and dark grayish building sitting alone on one of the bluffs. It was mostly shrouded in fog, but Nova could tell that this was the Atmosia stockades. She touched down outside of the stockades and noticed that there were several armed guards standing out front. Nova looked down at her guns, noting that she had two sets of crystals that she could load them with. The first were her transport crystals, the second was her aurora stones. Neither she wanted to use for both would kill the innocent. Nova thought for a moment and then looked up at the towering brick walls of the stockade and an idea came to her. She loaded one of the aurora stones into the barrel of her gun and began scaling the wall of the stockade, trying to remain as silent as possible, as so the guards would not see her.

Once Nova had climbed on to the roof of the complex, she pointed the barrel of her gun down at the surface. She pulled the trigger as a shot of bluish light plunged towards the roof, blasting a sizable hole, enough for Nova to leap through. She did so, landing directly in the hallway of a cellblock.

"What the hell was that noise!" One of the nearby guards shouted as she heard footsteps rushing towards her. Nova smirked with confidence as she was soon surrounded by guards on all sides. Needless to say, and without going into too much detail, Nova had them all on the ground within minuets.

"Advent's cell!" Nova commanded, lifting up one of the guards by the collar of his uniform, "Where is it!"

"Block 27," The guard replied feebly. Nova then threw him down to the ground as she rushed through the cell blocks, ducking behind corners and staying concealed within the shadows, as so she could avoid another all out beat down (in truth…it took a lot out of her). She reached a set of large metal doors, painted upon which was 'Block 27'. Nova shot the door, and once again, a large hole was blown through the metal.

"Who the hell are you!" One of the guards patrolling the block then exclaimed, holding up a spear to Nova's face. She rolled her eyes, seizing the spear, and bending it upwards. She then threw her fist with all of her force into the guard's face. He fell to the ground, unconscious, and she turned to enter the hole she had blown into the cell block. She stepped inside, and realized that most of the cells were not barred, but rather large metal doors with two small slots within them for viewing the prisoners, and sliding things into the cell.

"Advent?" Nova whispered, looking into the cell slots. The more she looked through them though, the more she noticed that there was no one in the cell block.

"She's in cell number 36..." A voice laughed, as Nova casually walked by the cell of the voice's origin, "Just thought you should know…after all, you could be in here for hours trying to find her _that _way…" Nova then looked in the cell in which the voice originated. It was there she found a man.

He was about thirty five, with long dark blonde hair that hadn't been cut or even maintained in years. His facial hair was also a little overgrown, and his hands were restrained in metal cuffs. His gold eyes watched Nova curiously as she looked in at him through the slot. She let out a sigh, as she knew who this was. He was one of the biggest disgraces to Sky Knights everywhere.

"Carver…" Nova began, looking in at him through the slot, "Oh…how the mightly have fallen…" Nova laughed, taking a few steps away from the cell, "Thanks for the tip by the way!" Carver said nothing in response to her, she could just hear his somewhat manic laughter echo through the cell block as she headed down the hallway to another set of large metal doors that were labeled 'cell 36', "Advent?" Nova whispered, leaning against the door, with her gun in hand, "Are you in here?"

"Of course Nova…" Advent replied softly, "But what might I ask are you doing here?" Nova looked to the door curiously, not understanding the question.

"I'm here to break you out!" Nova whispered.

"No need," Advent laughed, gently pushing on the large cell door as it fell open. Nova looked to the door, and then to Advent with some disbelief at first, but then it instantly faded (after all, why should Nova be surprised…this was Advent after all), "Although you certainly have made a mess of the stockade Nova…you mustn't be so brash with these things."

"Of course Master Advent…" Nova replied with a slight sigh as she followed Advent through the hall of the cellblock.

"Now come," Advent smiled, holding her hand out to Nova, "We've got a lot of work to do." She smiled as Nova took her by the hand and the cell block filled with white light. Once the light disappeared, both Nova and Advent were gone.

"heehee…" Carver chuckled darkly from sitting within his cell. A large shadow began to consume the wall opposite him, and Anaxagoras stepped from the dark void, "She took the bait…just as that Meno chick planned…"

"Regardless," Anaxagoras scoffed, turning his face away from Carver for a moment, making a refusal to admit that Meno was right, "Do you want out of this hellhole or not!"

"More than anything," Carver replied deviously, holding his wrists as far apart as possible, so the chain of his cuffs was tight. Anaxagoras dew his blade, glowing with dark red energy. He threw the blade down towards the chain, shattering it as Carver's hands were now free.

"Your freedom comes with a price Carver," Anaxagoras scoffed, looking down at the prisoner, "My master explained her conditions to you and what will become of you if you rescind on those conditions…"

"I'm aware," Carver began, staring up at Anaxagoras confidently and arrogantly. He sneered at Carver as he gestured the prisoner to follow him into the black void.

* * *

"You are aware that once the people of Atmos find out that you did this," Cyrus stated as Nova and Advent walked into the conference room. The three women were alone, and now discussing their proper course of action for the assault, "You'll both be arrested once the war is over."

"And that is a risk we're willing to take," Advent smiled, turning to Cyrus.

"Regardless, I think that we have ourselves a war to win!" Nova smiled confidently, "Our pilots are armed and ready not to mention we have all of the newest recruits…"

"Speaking of new recruits," Cyrus interrupted, "Where exactly are those nine _precious _knights? I hope for their sakes, they're training…"

"They'll all be fine," Advent stated airily, "I have the utmost confidence in them, and for your sake Cyrus, you should hold some faith in them too."

"Advent!" A voice hummed through the communicator in her hands, "This is Nikolai to Advent! Come in Advent!"

"I read you," Advent replied, "What it is Nikolai?"

"It is time Master Advent!" Nikolai called through the communicator.

"Then we shall meet you in the shipyard," Advent smiled, speaking into the device. She closed it and nodded towards Nova and Cyrus who smiled in response. The followed Advent out of the conference room, down the hall, on to the lift, up to the flight deck, and then out into the hangar bay. The hatch was opened and their skimmers were the only three that remained. Each woman had their weapons at their side, each powered by a 'shard' of the massive aurora stone given to them by the God, Leto.

The three women drove their rides down the hatch and through the crowd of sky knights and warriors, arming themselves, and checking their rides before the battle. Advent drove up to the group, readying herself to rally the fighters. She dismounted her ride as all of the knights snapped to attention, saluting her as she moved to address them. She opened her mouth as though to speak, but before she could say anything, a sinister laugh pierced through the air like the sound of thunder.

"That…can't be good…" Nova began as the knights began to whisper and murmur, awaiting for something to happen. A few moments went by and there was nothing. It was then, the ground began to rumble, but only for a moment. The group looked around the area in confusion once the tremor had stopped. It was quiet for another moment, until they heard a loud cracking noise resound through the air, and something began to emerge from the spires of the obsidian sanctum. It at first appeared to be a few nightcrawlers, but within seconds, a few, multiplied to a few thousand. They then heard a loud roar and screams of several citizens as the image of several Kor-Hounds emerged from the sanctum and began tromping through the streets of Atmosia. Several of the smaller far-side hounds began running throughout the streets also, attacking those who did not warrant it.

"Twilight Knights!" Advent commanded as the knights scurried to their rides, "To battle!" She commanded as the skimmers took off into the air. Within seconds, the skies of Atmosia lit up.

Flashes of red and white blew through the air, as the knights clashed with the creatures of the far-side. Advent watched confidently as she climbed on to her ride and took off into the air, watching as several nightcrawlers went plummeting to the wastelands. They were seemingly dropping like flies. But deep down she knew it was too easy.

"Where are you?" Advent asked herself as snow began to fall from the gray clouds hanging above their heads. She kept her eyes peeled, searching for one particular face within the fray.

"Are you guys ready?" Aerrow asked, as he and the rest of the nine guardians stood outside of the tempest II staring up at the battle. Piper held the silver box from the Goddess in her hands. She pulled back the lid, and each of them reached inside, taking one of the silvery necklaces out from the box. They each gently placed one around their necks, hoping that even though they didn't know anything about their alleged 'powers' or even what they did, that the small round crystals would be of some help.

"Ready as I'll ever be!" Junko stated, staring up at the sky.

"Let's do this!" Sora shouted, sliding on her inscribed black gloves, as she looked up at the battle. The others climbed on to their rides as Sora hopped on to Aerrow's skimmer, and Cloud transformed into the gray great horned owl. Their rides (and Cloud) flew off into the sky. As they flew into the fray, the snow began to fall harder and harsh and frigid gusts of wind blew through the battle.

"Hold your positions!" Nova commanded through the loud sounds of clashing blades and energy blasts booming throughout the sky. With the aurora stones in their possession, the Twilight Knights had no trouble taking out even the enhanced night crawlers. The creatures fell from the skies with a single shot or strike.

"Something isn't right!" Starling exclaimed, flying up beside Nova with a look of concern on her face, "This is too easy!"

"I know that!" Nova shouted over the wind whipping through her ears, the roar of her engines, and the sounds of battle, "But we have to keep fighting!" It was then when they heard the sound of a creature screaming. The two women turned to watch an encroaching night crawler fall to the wastelands after being shot down. They turned and saw Ravess, who was holding her bow in hand.

"You two can thank me later," She stated, drawing another arrow from her quiver, and aiming her bow at another creature.

The nine teens entered the battle as Piper and Cyclonis placed their stones into the tips of their staves. The two girls flew up beside one another, heading into a seemingly back sky, swarming with creatures. They exchanged looks of confidence as they accelerated into the battle.

"Try to keep up Piper," Cyclonis jeered, twirling her stave in her hands.

"I'll take that challenge!" Piper replied as she shot down one of the creatures. She then looked to Cyclonis and let out a slight laugh, "Piper one, Cyclonis zip!"

"We'll see about that!" She replied.

Meanwhile, Cloud was doing less fighting, and more assisting. For every Sky Knight she saw falling to the wastelands, she seized by the arms with her massive talons, and flew them back to the shipyard. She was also doing her fair share of healing, which was taking a toll on her, given the constant changing of forms, and the power it took in general to heal. After healing about twenty or so knights, she flew over to the Dark Ace. She fluttered down behind him, and transformed back into a human, landing on the seat of his ride right behind him. She took hold of his waist as he continued to fly, deflecting attacks from all sides.

"Are you alright?" He asked, turning his head slightly to look at her. Cloud nodded with an affirmative.

"I just need a moment," She shouted over all the noise, "I'll be fine! Just keep fighting."

"Just a random thought," Anaxagoras stated disdainfully, as he watched the battle from upon the balcony of Cypress' throne room. His two brothers, Meno, and Cypress herself were standing with him, watching the battle unfold as well, "But shouldn't we be out fighting as well."

"Oh Anaxagoras," Cypress sighed, rolling her eyes and turning away from him, "You have so much to learn…My army is practically endless…those Twilight Knights are fools for thinking that they could take us in battle. We will wear them down till the point of exhaustion, and then destroy them all. Besides you won't want to be anywhere near Atmosia…In a few minuets, the entire terra will be uninhabitable." She smiled, holding her murky green plague stone in her fingers.

"You think it wise to use that again?" Meno asked, challenging Cypress' judgment, "It didn't bode so well for us last time."

"Except this time," Cypress smiled, "They won't see it coming…Not to mention, if we infect the Doctor and the Druid, they will have no hope of survival."

"What about the Plague Doctor?" Anaximenes asked, also challenging Cypress as he crossed his arms, "Or did everyone just forget that he's still out there somewhere?"

"Not to mention the rogue Skyler," Meno replied with a slight sigh, "And her new alliance with the Twilight Knights…"

"You all worry too much," Cypress sighed, walking away from her lieutenants, "Skyler was a gifted scientist…but there are other more powerful ones out there…and as for the Plague Doctor…he can not cure all of the Twilight Knights, and all of the citizens of Atmosia at the same time. Once I unleash the plague, this world is as good as mine." Cypress smiled, tuning away from her lieutenants and heading back into the throne room.

"Where are you going Master?" Meno inquired, rushing towards Cypress.

"Head to your rides…" Cypress commanded as they all began following her out of the throne room, "I've got something planned for this pathetic excuse for a terra and for this pathetic excuse for a world…I need you all to come with me." She smiled, darkly, looking down at the green reliquary hanging at her side, "Anaxagoras! Hand me my amulet! We will be needing it very soon."

"Whatever for Master?" Anaxagoras asked, looking down at the green pendant hanging around his neck.

"That's none of your business!" Cypress snapped, turning around to face him, "Just give it here!" Cypress snapped, holding her hand out to him. He carefully removed the necklace, placing the pendant in Cypress' claw like hand. She snatched it away from him and placed it around her neck, turning away from her lieutenants. She then snapped her fingers, and as though by doing this, she seemed to send out some unheard message to her far-side creatures, withdrawing them from the battle almost instantly.

The beasts flooded back into the sanctum in a wild frenzy. Once the last of them had flown back into the spires of the citadel, all of the entryways to the bastion sealed shut. It was then silent for several long moments. The only sounds that could be heard was the rough winds of the snow storm whipping through the terra.

"Everyone…" Advent commanded, breaking the chilling silence, "Hold your ground!" She shouted, expecting something magnanimous to happen.

A rumbling, similar to the first wave, shook the terra, and sounded as though it was thundering. The rumbling ceased and it was silent once again. Moments went by and there was nothing. But it was then, when something began to emerge from the thick clouds below the obsidian sanctum.

It looked as though it might have been a battle ship at one point. However, it was covered in a thick, tarry, and seemingly organic and living substance. There were three large spines sticking out of each side of the ship. Embedded in the hull were deep red crystal pontoons, possibly elevating the monstrosity of a ship. The regiment watched with fear as the hulking craft soared into the air before them. Cypress' cold laugh echoed through the air as the ship hovered menacingly over the terra.

"What is that thing…" Aerrow whispered, flying up beside Advent.

"…Fall back…" She responded quietly, her eyes wide, "Fall back everyone!"


	31. Chapter 30: Valkyries

[Message from Kingdom Come]: Good god, get your minds out of the gutter you sick fan fiction people -_- just because 3 X's happen to be the roman numeral for 30 everyone goes all 'It's a porno chapter! :D OMG' on me -_- Oh I'm only kidding! XD

But anyway guys guess what! We have two chapters and the epilogue left before the end of volume one! We're finally at the climax guys (I swear if someone makes a sex joke out of that-That's what she said-WHO SAID THAT?)

* * *

Chapter XXX.

Valkyries

"I'm only sorry we won't be staying," Cypress' voice echoed through the sky as the monstrous cruiser drifted into the air, "But I do hope you enjoy my little storm. If you all happen to survive, just know that we will be back very soon!"

Meanwhile, down on the terra, the Twilight Knights and said recruits were channeling every panicked and screaming citizen back inside, at the potential risk of their own lives. No one really knew what was coming, but typically, in these situations, shelter is the best thing. The snow was stoppef falling heavily, and quickly diluted from a blizzard into a soft flurry. Only half of the citizens were channeled into a shelter before a loud crack of thunder sounded through the air, or at least they thought it was thunder.

"Quickly! Quickly!" Aerrow shouted, pushing screaming families into the nearest building to him, "Everyone needs to be inside!" He shouted, he and the others neglecting to notice that the clouds had changed colors from grey to a murky greenish color. By this time, Cypress' craft had flown out of the vicinity and disappeared within the clouds, and with a good reason. As Aerrow guided the people into the shelter, a small cluster of snowflakes fell gently on his nose. He noticed a foul smell, and wiped the cluster of snow off of him. He looked down at his fingertips and noticed that the snow was actually the same murky green color as the clouds, and as it melted, it left a disgusting green residue on his fingers and face, "Ew! What is this…" Aerrow whispered, looking down at the greenish snow.

He wasn't the only to take notice of the green snow. Once the greenish snow began to fall upon the terra, all of the others looked up at the sky as well. The snow only fell upon them for a few seconds before it began. The citizens and the knights themselves began coughing. Everyone then grew very pale, and broke into a cold sweat from a sudden fever.

"It's…another…plague!" Advent panted, struggling to stay on her feet.

"Cypress…must have…had more than…one…plague stone!" Piper coughed, collapsing to her knees from weakness and pain.

"W-what's happening to us!" The citizens screamed in terror, looking down at their skin, slowly beginning to sully and decay, "Someone help us!" They screamed, accompanied by coughs, groans of pain, and screams.

"Damn her…" Ace growled, falling to his knees, and coughing up a pool of blood in the snow below him.

"It…can't end this way…" Aerrow whispered, collapsing to the ground as well, "It…just can't end…like this…for me…"

"Advent…" Sora coughed feebly, too weak to hold on to someone for comfort, "w-what's going on…" But no one answered her. Everyone had collapsed, too weak and in too much pain from their bodies being seized by the plague. The effects were instant, and needless to say, it was a horrid way to go. Everyone had fallen unconscious within minuets, all except for Advent, who was still trying to stay on her feet, hoping there was something she could do.

She looked down at her hands, and noticed her skin had turned a pale green color and growled trying to suppress the pain, for her flesh was beginning to deteriorate. Her chest was burning and her vision was becoming cloudy, but she still moved forward, although by this point she wasn't sure why she wasn't just giving up. Though her vision was cloudy, she could see a black cloaked figure staring at her from across the way. She instantly recognized it as the Plague Doctor.

"Do something…" Advent coughed, stumbling towards him, "Please…help them…"

"There…is…nothing…" The plague doctor responded wheezing heavily, "That can…be done…"

"Please…" Advent gagged, gripping her chest as she took a few more steps towards the doctor, "…You have to have something!" She coughed, gripping the collar of the plague doctor's robes as she collapsed to her knees, "You're…you're…a plague doctor!" The doctor said nothing. He turned away from Advent as she fell to the ground. She looked to the doctor weakly, watching his faded image disappear within the darkened alleyways of Atmosia. She turned over to stare up at the green clouds, as the plagued snowflakes fell gently down upon the people.

"It's over…" She whispered, looking up at the sky, "It's really over…" She told herself as tears began to stream down her face. She knew what would happen to her once she passed. She would return to Jevanni's hall with the other valkyries. Her worry was not on herself though, it was on the nine instruments of the goddess. Everything started to go black around her, when she noticed several dozen winged figures flying in the skies above her. She wasn't sure what they were, for she could barely see, and she lost consciousness within seconds of the winged figures' arrival.

* * *

"NO!" Advent screamed, sitting up and awakening from what felt like an eternity of sleep. She looked around at the world around her and noticed that everything was on fire. She rose to her feet, and looked down at her hands. Her skin color was normal, and she only felt hot because of the fire swelling around her. She looked around at what once was the marketplace of Atmosia, and watched as the buildings collapsed, sending waves of hot ash through the air.

"Advent!" Ace exclaimed, helping her to stay on her feet, "Thank god you're all right!"

"What happened here!" Advent exclaimed, looking around at the fire.

"I can explain that," Jevanni stated, stepping through the crowd with her great wings floating behind her. It was then when Advent noticed several other valkyries, adorning armor, and standing around the crowd of worried citizens. Advent looked to her mother, who looked down at the ground and let out a sigh, "The Goddess saw that you my dear, were drowning…Although we had all made a vow not to intervene, We could not sit idly by, and let everyone perish from the plague…" She stated, staring into the fire of the burning terra, "Even though some were lost…"

"What do you mean by that!" Advent exclaimed, pulling away from Ace, even though she already clearly knew what she meant.

"Nikolai…" Ace began quietly, as she turned to look at him, "Advent I'm sorry…but he didn't make it in time…he passed just before Jevanni and the other valkyries came."

"W-where is his wife?" Advent asked quietly, looking back up at him, feeling like a complete failure.

"Zelkovitz is fine," He replied, "She was sent to the Luxirious on Nova's orders…"

"Everyone else is alright then," She asked, wiping her eyes, but trying to not make it apparent that she was crying.

"Everyone is fine…" Ace whispered, wiping away a stray tear that she happened to miss. Advent swatted his hands away from her, and turned her back to the crowd.

"Please don't touch me," Advent whispered, pressing her palms gently against her eyes. He looked at her with sad eyes as she took a deep breath. Ace then turned around to the crowd as Advent stood in silence.

"Squadron one!" he commanded over the murmur of the crowd, "Back to your rides! New recruits, shuttle the citizens to safety and return back to Atmosia the minuet you've done so…As for everyone else…like I said, get to your rides…" He commanded, his head down as he walked towards the crowd.

"Mom…" Cyclonis whispered, moving to run towards her mother, however, her wrist was seized by Cyrus before she could run towards her. She looked up to her. Cyrus didn't say anything, she just shook her head as Cyclonis let out a sigh, and turned away from her mother, wrenching her wrist form Cyrus' grip and heading back to her ride.

"You shouldn't have come here…" Advent whispered, as Jevanni walked up beside her.

"Too proud to admit your own mistakes," Jevanni sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder, "A common flaw of all valkyries I must admit…we are all a little too proud for our own good."

"I really don't need you to give me a condescending speech about everything I have done wrong today," Advent began, looking up at the burning city, "Why did you come anyway?"

"It wasn't to save you," Jevanni replied bluntly, "Or to save the rest of the Twilight Knights for that matter…or even to save the people of the terra. We came to save those nine children. Even though we are not supposed to intervene, the Goddess would not sit idly by and let them die today. But I do not hold you responsible for what has happened here or even for the deaths of the citizens and your Knight, Nikolai. Their deaths fall on the shoulders of your twin sister…and being a fallen Valkyrie yourself, I didn't expect you to be able to save the entire terra, given your lack of power…"

"As I keep asking you," Advent interrupted sternly, "Why have you come then…even to save the nine guardians! Don't you and the Goddess keep preaching about making our beds! I made my bed by not preparing these…these children! You should have let us die!"

"While it does go against our vows to intervene on mortal soil," Jevanni stated, looking forward and into the flames, "It also goes against our vows to let someone trop around the world we created and play god. Cypress needs to learn that she can not do as she pleases in this world, and she must be punished for the damage she has done. Without the nine guardians…never mind…they're saved now…it isn't important. But what is important is that Cypress will be returning soon, and I have no way of knowing what she is bringing back with her. I have lent you the aid of my daughters this once, but do not expect this to happen again. In the event that Cypress has another wave of the plague at her disposal," Jevanni stated, placing her hands on Advent's shoulders. Jevanni began to glow a pale bluish color, and so did Advent. Light enveloped Advent for a moment and then dissipated, as Advent looked up at the mother of all valkyries, "I have restored the healing properties of your tears…and your invulnerability…Use them well my child." Jevanni stated just before turning away from Advent and heading towards her small troupe of valkyries, "Oh and do forgive us for burning down your homes…but it was necessary in order to cull the plague."

"Mother wait!" Advent exclaimed, before Jevanni and the rest of the Valkyries took off onto the skies, "What if…what if I need you again…"

"You won't," Jevanni smiled, as the Plague Doctor crawled out of the shadows of the already charred buildings of the city, "I have outfitted the Plague Doctor with everything he may need in case of another outbreak…" She concluded as the Doctor walked up beside the Val Kyrie, looking to Advent the entire time.

"But…" Advent began, doubting herself for the first time in centuries, "What if…what if I just can't?"

"We've been here before Advent," Nova smiled, walking up beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder, "If you recall…and if you also remember…we got through worse than this…"

"Nova is right," Jevanni smiled towards her other child as Nova looked up at her with admiration.

"But Mother…" Advent began, looking down at the ground, "I…"

" Whatever it is," Jevanni interrupted, "You'll have to figure that out for yourself," Jevanni smiled as she turned away from Advent and headed towards the rest of the valkyries. The great ethereal women extended their great wings and took of into the skies. Their vision grew smaller and smaller as they flew into the now clear skies, reaching the horizon line. A bright white light flashed throughout the sky, and the valkyries were gone. Advent just stood with her back to the crowds, staring up at the horizon, at the point where the valkyries had disappeared. The other knights watched and waited for her to say something expectantly, but Advent started into the sky for what seemed like an eternity while Nova stood at her side.

"So what now?" Finn asked, looking around at the other Twilight Knights.

"Just give her a moment," Aerrow replied confidently, "Advent will be okay."

"Aerrow," Starling began, walking up to him from within the crowd, "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Yeah sure," He smiled weakly, gesturing everyone around him to leave. They did so, leaving him and Starling on the edge of the crowd, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Do you think…" Starling began, looking down at the ground, "That you could talk to the other knights? They're spirits are down in a big way…I mean…we're loosing…we…we just lost Nikolai…" She stated, before bursting into tears.

"Starling," Aerrow began, taking a gentle but firm hold on her shoulders, "Everything is going to be okay! I promise…I'll talk to them…"

"Thank you," Starling replied, wiping the tears from her eyes, "And I'm sorry you had to see that…I…I don't usually-"

"You don't have to explain yourself," Aerrow began, "Least not to me anyway…I know this is hard for you to…relive this again." He stated, taking a few steps away from her, to address the other knights.

"Alright everyone!" Aerrow commanded, as the group turned to look at him expectantly, as though Aerrow would be giving them some magnanimous news, "Listen up!" He shouted, looking around at all of the faces in the crowd. He had never seen so much blatant despair in his entire life. Stork had lost his entire people after the culling of his terra, and Junko almost lost his. Starling was now reliving loosing someone from her squadron again and Leto looked as though he had just lost his best friend (and he may as well could have, given that Aerrow didn't know too much about everyone in the squadron just yet). He was just thankful that Zelkovitz wasn't there, and maybe it was for the best that she didn't fight alongside them. He then turned to look at the faces of the other guardians. Sora looked confused and frightened, as though she didn't understand what had happened. Stork looked lethargic, for he most likely felt like fighting was useless, given that they were probably going to die anyway. Piper, Finn, and Junko were looking to Aerrow as though asking him: what should we do? Cyclonis looked guilty, Cloud looked distraught, and Ace looked disappointed, most likely in himself.

Aerrow looked around at all of the other faces, and realized that giving a 'pep-talk' was not what this squadron needed. They needed a miracle, and fast. Aerrow opened his mouth as though to speak, but nothing came out. He looked at these people, and was searching frantically in his head for words, but he found nothing.

"Just…just give it your all today…Nikolai would want it that way…" He stated quietly. All of the others looked to him with sadness in their eyes, feeling as though he too may have given up a little. It was then, when a loud cracking sound echoed loudly through the air. The sky filled once more with grayish clouds and a dark bluish light filled the skies as something began to appear though the dark clouds. Another cracking noise then filled the air as a vortex opened in the sky.

A bright purple light shone through the massive portal, and Cypress' monstrous carrier burst fourth from it, along with several hundred winged creatures. Two other tarry black crafts flew fourth from the portal behind the first, and descended towards the terra. They landed, and as the hatches opened, several different types of creatures rushed from the hulls of the ship and through the still burning streets of Atmosia.

"Let's do this…" Nova began, taking both guns from the holsters at her sides, "Twilight Knights! To battle!" Nova commanded, as the other Twilight Knights found it within themselves to pull fourth what little morale they had left, and draw their weapons. Advent watched them all dive into the fray. She looked up at the ship still in the sky and she clenched her fists with anger, as she could feel Cypress staring down at her, laughing maniacally as she knew that she had claimed the life of one of her sister's knights.

"Let's end this then…" Advent whispered, still staring at the ship, as she drew her rapier.


	32. Chapter 31: The Battle for Atmos

**[Message From Kingdom Come]: **FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRST OF ALL: Thank you to everyone for not jumping down my throat about finishing this super stupid fast! I was unbelievably pissed when I lost this chap and thanks for the support during the re-write :D My back and head are killing me, but that's what I get for pulling an all-nighter and rewriting everything I lost -_-

Also, I am very sorry. I really just wanted to finish and I kind of patched this chapter together on the fly. Some of the things that go on in this chap are very OOC and the characters do and say some things that are like: really…they would never do that -_- So I have to apologize. The chapter I originally wrote was fan-flipping-tastic and the re-write is just…not. Sorry guys :/

Okay second, so I know I said that there was one more chapter to go after this. I lied. There was another, but I was looking at my notes on volume one and I realized that the chapter that came after this one was going to be waaay too short (like between 5 and 7 pages) well…that's too short for me anyway :/ So I pretty much spliced it in with this chapter. So…final chapter guys :D we have the epilogue after this (which I have yet to re-write). This DOES NOT mean that the story is over. I have already started pre-writing production of the next book :P But I will be posting all other chapters under this same fic. More info at the end of the epilogue! Anyway! Read and review! Not to mention still vote on the poll on my profile page! It's important for future chapters! And stop by my dA account (link on my profile) if you also get the chance. I AM TAKING REQUESTS FOR DRAWING TWILIGHT KNIGHTS XD So stop by my dA page if you're interested!

P.S. IMPORTANT, if you already read the spoiler synopsis, I still recommend reading the chapter, there was some stuff that I added to it during the re-write :P

* * *

Chapter XXXI.

The Battle for Atmos

"I almost feel bad for them," Cypress smiled, staring down at the battle from within the comfort of her ship as she watched her demon army unleash their fury on the Twilight Knights, "So unprepared and helpless…Jevanni pulled them out of a jam once, but they won't survive this time around."

"Why don't we use another stone?" Anaxagoras replied contemptuously, "The valkyries won't come back to Atmos a second time!"

"No…" Cypress stated, looking out into the battle, "It will not work again…but we will need them for the culling of the other terras once the Twilight Knights have been defeated. Do not contradict my decisions Anaxagoras…" Cypress hissed, glaring over to him.

"Yes Master…" He replied disdainfully, looking away from her.

"Now that we've established the Far-Side," Cypress began, sitting down on her throne as she stared out into the battle, flashes of white and red pulsing through the air as she laughed wickedly, "All we have to do is establish Atmosia, and this world will soon be mine…As for you four…make yourselves useful and go into battle…"

"Yes Master Cypress!" They all commanded, saluting her and turning away as they headed down to the hangar bay of their monstrosity, all except for Meno who stood closely at Cypress' side.

"What are you talking about _feeling bad for them_!" Meno snapped, gesturing Cypress to look out into the battleground, "The Twilight Knights are pulverizing our forces…if we do not act quickly, we are going to lose Atmosia! Let's open the door now!"

"Meno!" Cypress snapped gravely, turning to look at her, "I make that decision! Do not command me…Now go to your rides…if you recall, I ordered you into battle."

"Yes master," Meno replied, looking down at the ground angrily, "I will do as you command…" She replied heading out of the flight deck, "for now…" she whispered just getting out of Cypress' earshot. Unfortunately for Meno, anyone under Cypress' control is never out of earshot.

"Oh foolish Meno…" Cypress sighed, looking out of the flight deck and into the battle, "You've got so much to learn…If I decided to keep you around." She sighed, as she watched more of the dark creatures of her army fall into the abyss of the wasteland.

Meanwhile, outside in the battle, the Twilight Knights were decreasing Cypress' numbers with ease. Sora crouched on the front of Aerrow's skimmer, holding on to the vehicle and steadying herself with one hand, and gripping her aurora stone with her gloved hand. A swarm of oily black pterodactyl like creatures few in a swarm towards the pair. Sora focused her energies as the circled runes on her glove began to glow in sync with her crystal. She held her arm out steady and straight before her as so she would not lose her balance or stance (after all, stance and balance are key when fighting with her science). A large and powerful wave of white light flew from the crystal, colliding with the creatures and knocking them back. Sora and Aerrow watched triumphantly as the winged beasts fell to the wastelands.

"Way to go Sora!" Radaar cheered, trusting his paw into the air. Sora jumped back on to the seat of Aerrow's skimmer.

"We've got them on the ropes!" Aerrow cheered into the communication device in the dashboard of his skimmer.

"Copy that!" Finn cheered, as he flew deeper into the fight with Cyclonis at his side. He continued to shoot down several types of creatures with his crossbow, while Cyclonis shot off beams of white light at any beasts that might try to flank him form the side, using her staff.

It was then when the sounds of a raid siren began blaring throughout Atmosia. The sound was coming from the obsidian sanctum. The creatures turned and looked to the tower in fear as they rushed back to the sanctuary.

"They…they're retreating!" Starling exclaimed, as the Twilight Knights hovered only a few meters away from the sanctum itself. An eruption of cheers burst fourth from the regiment as the last of the beasts flooded into the palace. It was quiet for several long moments, as nothing happened.

"Onward everyone!" Aerrow commanded confidently, "It's time to end this!"

"Aerrow is right!" Nova replied, rallying the uneasy knights, "It's time to storm the citadel and take back Atmos!" The cheers grew even louder now as the knights flew towards Cypress' palace. However, as they went to fly their skimmers into the opened levels of the main spire, the entrances sealed shut with a glowing red wall of light.

"What…" Cyrus whispered looking around in confusion, "What is this!"

A loud boom, almost like an unnatural crack of thunder pierced the sky and echoed throughout the entire quadrant and beyond. Perhaps it could have been heard through the far reaches of Atmos. Another vortex then appeared, replacing the much smaller one that Cypress and her minions had burst fourth from. The vortex consumed the skies above Atmosia, and a hideous shrieking noise that sounded similar to metal being scraped against metal dug into the ears of the knights.

They all looked up at the portal with helplessness as winged insect-like creatures bigger than the average human began flying from the portal in a frenzy, like wasps being kicked up from their fallen nest. Two massive claw-like hands then protruded fourth from the vortex, dwarfing the insect beasts as the behemoth pulled itself out of the void. The giant had the head of a hound, with oily, black, and hairless skin. It's eyes were like two massive yellow crystals plunged into the sockets of the creature's skull. The beast had the hulking body of a man, but had the legs of an animal, with giant ivory claws protruding from its feet. The beast also had a large mane of fiery green hair, that almost seemed to be on fire, extending from which were two long and twisting black horns. Lastly, a pair of dark wings kept the giant suspended in the air, each flap of its great wings sent a wave through the air, almost knocking back the knights.

"FIND THE BOY!" The beast boomed, his voice like thunder, shaking the very core of their doomed world. The insect creatures then began to fly about in a frenzy, heading directly for the knights. Along with them were four skimmers, each being piloted by one of Cypress' lieutenants.

"So this is how it all happened…" Advent whispered, watching the scene rather calmly.

"Retreat!" Nova exclaimed, as everyone immediately turned their rides away from the beast.

"What is that thing!" Cloud shouted, staring back at the giant as she flew towards the tempest along with everyone else.

"That's Dar'Khan!" Nova shouted, "But I don't understand! He was killed!"

"Gods never truly die," Advent began, as the army flew away in a panic, "they may be defeated, but they always come back…" Their rides landed on the ground quickly, Advent immediately dismounted her ride, and waved towards the nine guardians before they could land, "Get out of here! All of you!" Advent exclaimed before they could land.

"We're not leaving you guys!" Junko stated firmly, hovering in the air above the grounded regiment.

"Speak for yourselves," Stork replied, riding with Piper, who elbowed him in the stomach for making such a comment.

"We can hold our own!" Ravess shouted.

"You're too important!" Starling added.

"Find a way to save us…" Advent whispered, taking a cloaking crystal from her robes and waving it across the air in front of the nine guardians. While still in the air, the teens disappeared, and followed Advent's orders, flying off into the distance.

"Hahaha!" Advent heard a wicked laugh echo through the air behind her. She turned to observe the fog that shrouded the town when she saw figures began to appear within the fog from all sides, "My my Advent," Cypress laughed deviously, emerging from the cold fog and walking towards her sister as her creatures surrounded Advent's knights on all sides, "I must admit you put up quite a fight…but I always was just a little better then you at everything."

"Or so you think," Advent replied contemptuously, not looking her in the eye.

"This is checkmate Nova," Meno smiled darkly, walking towards Nova who glared hatefully at her, "I will enjoy torturing you in the dungeons…"

"Don't count on it," Nova replied arrogantly.

"Wait…" Cypress hissed, looking around at the faces of the knights, "Where are they…Where are the guardians!"

"Hopefully somewhere you'll never find them…" Advent smiled confidently. Cypress looked at her sister wickedly, as she threw her hand across Advent's face, causing her to stumble back.

"Take these vermin to the stockades of my sanctum…" Cypress hissed, turning away from the group.

* * *

"We'll be safe here for now…" Ace sighed as he lead the group into Advent's room on the Tempest II.

"Won't this be like…" Finn began, looking around the darkened room nervously, "The first place they look for us?"

"Finn's got a point," Piper replied with a nod, "This doesn't seem like the safest place for us right now."

"I've got it under control," Ace stated quietly, feeling around a large bare wall. His fingers ran over a small hairline crack, and he pushed against it. The wall slid back, and then to the side, revealing a small passageway in the ship.

"Impossible!" Cyclonis exclaimed, looking at the secret passage, "This…this is one of the outer walls of the ship!"

"No time to explain," Ace commanded, gesturing everyone to get inside, "We need to go…NOW!" He shouted. They began to head through the passageway, but just as Ace stepped inside, being the last to do so, a thick frost quickly crept across the walls from the door to Advent's room, to the passageway as the air became deathly cold and thick. He and Aerrow immediately began pushing against the wall of the passageway, but the frost now coating the door seemed to be frozen shut.

"I got it," Junko began confidently. He threw his arms against the door and began to shove. It still did not budge.

"Hurry Junko…" Sora wailed, latching on to Aerrow as pounding and scratching noises came from the door to Advent's room.

"Working…on…it…" Junko grunted as he and Ace both began pushing on the door. The room door then burst open as the familiar, hooded, skeletal creatures rushed into the room, and Sora let out a scream.

"Wraiths!" Cyclonis exclaimed, as she and Piper drew their staves, shooting beams of energy at the cloaked specters. Ace and Junko managed to get the door partially shut, but the attacks of the girls couldn't hold them off. The creatures swarmed around the door to the passageway, attempting to claw their way in, reaching for whoever they could. Cloud transformed into a bear, and used her great strength to assist in shutting the door. With a loud scraping noise and a thud, the trio managed to shut the door, trapping several arms of the wraiths in between the wall.

"Is everyone okay?" Aerrow asked, who was holding on to a very unsettled Sora.

"I think so…" Cloud whispered, changing back into her old self.

"Come on," Ace then whispered, gesturing everyone to follow him down the pathway, "Now that the passage is sealed, we'll be safe here."

"But what is here anyway?" Piper inquired, looking down the dark hallway.

"This tunnel leads to Advent's secret library," Ace stated, "She…brought me here once before." He added, trying to throw off the suspicion as to how he knew about it in the first place.

"This is perfect!" Cyclonis chimed optimistically, "We might be able to find something that can help us while we're here."

"We should work fast though," Aerrow commanded as the nine teens headed down the hallway, "The others need us…we can't just leave them to die like we did."

"It's not like we had a choice," Ace stated sternly, turning back to look at him, "The twilight knights exist to serve Atmos, and if the nine of us hold the fate of Atmos in our hands…than that means the Twilight Knights exist to serve us…they gave themselves up to save us…we would be doing a dishonor to them if we hastily made our way back without being prepared."

"You're right," Aerrow nodded, admitting that for the first time in his life. They continued down the corridor to a large cathedral like stone doorway. They entered a large and drafty circular marble room, stacked to the ceiling with books and shelves. At the top of the library were windows seeping with light coming from nowhere, which gave the library a light and calming presence.

"Why are we even here!" Stork wailed with despair as he sat down on a stack of books, "We're all going to die anyway…there's no way we can take on Cypress and that thing that came from the far-side! Let's just face it! We're doomed!"

"Stork!" Piper snapped, immediately diving towards the shelves and searching for something of use to her, "Don't say things like that!"

"We're here to find a way to save Atmos!" Cyclonis snapped, opening a large and rather old tome, "And that's what we're going to do!"

"Hey guys!" Finn and Junko called, standing around a large table covered in papers and books in the center of the library, "Check this out!" They called as the nine circled around the table.

"I think someone has done all of our research for us," Aerrow began, looking down at the scrolls and various artifacts before him.

"Have a look at this," Ace commanded, unrolling a large piece of paper. A large circle was drawn on the parchment, centered within the circle were three triangles, with a symbol at each point of each shape. Small and intricate drawings were done around the circle, and even around the three triangles. There was a strange and indistinguishable dialect written around it as well which no one could understand. Large paragraphs of notes were written all around the symbol as well. They were written by Advent (everyone recognized her handwriting) but they were written in the same strange language.

"What is it?" Sora asked, looking up at the paper.

"It's written in Valkyrian," Ace stated quietly, reading over the writing, "It's strange…I know this language…I've seen it before and I can read it…but I can't quite understand it."

"Cyclonis you're good with lang-" Aerrow began, noticing that she was the only one not in the group, but he stopped when his eyes fell upon her. Her entire body was glowing a pale violet color, and her eyes were consumed with the same glowing light. She was hovering a few inches off of the ground, and when everyone saw her, they remained silent.

"The triad…" Cyclonis began quietly as though channeling someone else's voice, as her vision of the library faded around her and was replaced by that of the top of the obsidian sanctum. The symbol written on the parchment appeared on the ground of the sanctuary as she observed the images of herself and the other nine guardians taking their places on the symbol. Each member radiated with light, as nine beams of light replaced where they once stood, forming together to create one giant beam of light. The beam flew into the air and pierced through the body of Cypress' demon, Dar'Khan, and blew through the portal to the far-side, shattering them both into oblivion. The vision then faded from her sight and the vision of her fellow guardians and the library returned.

"What the heck was that!" Finn exclaimed as Cyclonis ceased glowing and gently fell to the ground.

"Cyclonis!" Cloud chirped, rushing to her aid, "Are you alright."

"The triad…" Cyclonis began sternly, as though she had been unaffected by what had just happened, "It's not what we thought it was…it's a giant weapon…and the nine of us…we're just the parts to make it work…" She added, walking to the parchment Ace just previously had, "When the nine of us stand in this formation…it creates a beam…it's powerful enough to kill that thing…and close the door to the far-side…for good."

"That's fantastic!" Aerrow shouted.

"And now that we know Cyclonis is a scryer-" Ace added, only to be interrupted.

"We don't know that…" Cyclonis snapped, shaking her head.

"How many people do you know glow, float, and magically foresee how an ancient power developed by the gods works?" Stork asked contemptuously, "Because as of now…you're the only one."

"He's right," Piper shrugged, looking to Cyclonis, "It's gotta be you!"

"Did you see anything else in your vision," Cloud asked, picking her brain for anything else that might help them.

"Yeah…" Cyclonis replied nervously, "We have to be at the top of Cypress' palace in order to make it work…"

"Oh great…" Finn grumbled, looking down at the floor, "Of course! It can never be something easy!"

"At least we all know our places in the prophecy though!" Cloud chirped optimistically, "With this knowledge, we're one step closer to beating Cypress."

"All we have to do is get to the top of that tower!" Aerrow rallied, "That should be easy enough."

"If they haven't destroyed our rides," Piper sighed, knowing that it was a possibility that it could have happened.

"I can get you into the palace," A voice stated from behind them. The nine teens jumped to their feet, turning to note the red-haired brother of Anaxagoras. They all drew their weapons, daring him to take a step closer, "The name's Anaximenes…and you can relax…" He stated, holding his hands up to show he was unarmed, "I've brought a friend…" He added, as Skyler emerged from the shadows with him.

"Skyler's hardly a friend," Cloud snapped, still not forgiving Skyler for nearly killing her and Ace back in the sewers.

"But I am," Anaximenes explained, "I'm Advent's spy…if you don't believe me, you can ask her once you break her out of the palace." He stated, throwing something across the floor, which skidded over to the nine teens. Aerrow lifted it off of the ground, and noticed it was a twilight knight insignia. Aerrow then threw it contemptuously on to the ground before him.

"Who'd you have to kill to get your hands on this," Aerrow snapped, crossing his arms. No one in the room believed him, and why should they, he was one of _them_.

"Harsh," Anaximenes sighed, looking down at the ground, "But I suppose I did deserve that…"

"He is telling the truth," Skyler stated direly, "I discovered him just before betraying Cypress."

"I feel even less inclined to believe this now coming from you," Cloud replied contemptuously, staring down Skyler.

"No it's true," Ace sighed, walking towards the pair, "It's a long story…but unfortunately it's true…so begs the question, how can you help us get to the top of Cypress' palace?"

"There's a warp gate in the center of the inner chamber on the first level of the tower," Anaximenes explained, "Set to the proper coordinates, you should end up at the top of the tower. Skyler and I can help you get from here to the palace, but after that, you're on your own."

"As long as you can get us in," Aerrow stated sternly, "That's all we'll need."

"We will meet you in the shipyards," Skyler stated darkly before she and Anaximenes disappeared within the shadows.

"We aren't really going to believe that they're going to get us inside!" Finn snapped with disbelief once he was sure they were gone.

"We don't have much choice," Piper sighed, shaking her head.

"More importantly," Aerrow began, turning to Ace, "How did you know that he was a spy in the first place?"

"Does it matter-" Stork began, only to be interrupted.

"It's alright," Ace began, looking down at the floor, "They deserve to know…a lot of things," Stork took a step back, allowing Ace to talk, "First…if we survive, none of this leaves here, understand?" Everyone nodded in agreement, waiting for him to speak, "When Advent brought me back to life…she wasn't able to _finish _me…" He began quietly, looking at the confused faces of his team mates, "The only way she could fully bring me back, was to give part of her soul to me…She didn't mean to, but when she put my soul back together she gave me access to her memories and her knowledge."

"So while everyone else was in the dark, you knew everything that was going on this whole time!" Cyclonis snapped, taking a few steps towards him.

"It's not like that!" Ace shouted, "Trust me…there were things that I wanted to tell you…that I should have told you anyway…" He sighed, realizing that he should have trusted them in the first place.

"Like what?" Aerrow asked quietly.

"I'll tell you later," Ace replied quietly, feeling that now wasn't the time, "We should brace ourselves for what's about to happen…"

"You guys…" Sora began, with swelling tears hanging in her eyes, "I'm scared!" She wailed, wrapping her arms around Ace and burying her face in his clothes, "I don't want to die! I don't want anyone else to die! I just want things to go back to the way they were!"

"Shh…" He sighed, looking down at Sora, "No one else is going to die today…I promise." She looked up at him, still crying.

"You guys are the only family I ever had…" She sniffed, wiping her tears away with his uniform jacket, "It's not fair!"

"I know," He replied quietly, placing his hand on Sora's shoulder, "But it's going to be alright…" he then looked up to everyone else, who looked just as distraught as Sora was, "If you have anything to say to each other…you might want to say it now…"

"You were always one hell of an opponent," Aerrow began with a weak smile as he looked up towards Ace, "But you're one hell of a leader too…"

"No I'm not," Ace replied sadly, looking down at Sora, who was still clinging to him, and still crying, "But Advent was right to pick you…" Ace smiled weakly back at him. At first, Aerrow was shocked. How could Ace know about his arrangement with Advent? But he quickly recalled his prior statement.

"It's been a real honor to fight with all of you," Aerrow stated, turning to the others, and then to the Storm Hawks, "But this whole things started with the Storm Hawks…and now it's going to end with the Twilight Knights."

"Piper," Cyclonis began, looking towards her with. Piper turned to her as though to say something, but neither girls could speak. Cyclonis took her gently by the shoulders and pulled her into a hug. After a few seconds she let go, and the two girls smiled weakly.

"We should get going," Ace stated, breaking the silence, "The longer we stay in here…the more time that Cypress has to destroy Atmos…"

* * *

Just as they had promised, Anaximenes and Skyler helped the teens from the shipyards, through the streets of Atmosia, and to the base of Cypress' stronghold. All of them were able to hold their own against the new creatures swarming out of the far-side vortex, but they wouldn't have been able to hold them off forever (which made them thankful that the shipyard wasn't too far from the obsidian sanctum).

"There!" Anaximenes stated, pointing to a hulking large iron doorway sunken into the black stone of the palace, "If you can break through that door," He stated, throwing one of the inky wasp creatures off of his body, "The warp gate should be just inside."

"I'll go with you to and set the coordinates," Skyler stated, as the nine teens followed her to the door, "but Anaximenes and I must stay behind. Cypress can't know that we assisted you." She stated, rushing up to the iron door. She threw her hands against the frigid metal and the nine teens watched as her arms pulsed with red energy. The pulse flew through the door, and shattered it into thousands of metal shards.

"Let's go!" Ace shouted as the group rushed into the sanctum, Anaximenes fighting off the creatures as the group rushed inside. Skyler then placed her hands on the ground by the shattered door once they were inside, and a wall of rock shot up from the obsidian, creating a new wall, separating Anaximenes from the safety of the sanctum.

"What are you doing!" Aerrow shouted, rushing towards the barrier, "He'll die out there with those _things_!"

"Anaximenes can hold his own just fine!" Skyler snapped, pushing him away from the barrier, "Besides he's the last of your worries." Skyler stated, rushing to the center of the room.

It was there where they found a large black, metal ring. In the center of the ring, a faint orb of light sparked and glowed weakly. There was a control panel beside the ring, which Skyler immediately began working on. After she had pressed a few keys, the small orb of light swelled into a massive swirling portal.

"You don't have much time," Skyler stated direly, "This portal will only stay open for five minuets. I wish you all the best of luck." She added, turning and walking into the shadows

"Where are you going!" Aerrow shouted in confusion.

"I must set the other knights free," Skyler's voice called from within the darkness, "We will meet again guardians…hopefully under much happier circumstances."

"Come on guys!" Junko shouted as he moved to head through the portal, "Skyler said this portal is going to close any minuet!"

"Wait!" Finn shouted, just as everyone was about to jump through the warp gate. He seized Cyclonis' wrist and pulled her into his arms, pressing his lips against hers, "Just…thought I should do that…you know…seeing as how…" He began awkwardly after he pulled away from her.

"I get it," Cyclonis interrupted quietly, wrapping her arms around his neck, and repeating the action.

"Let's go you two!" Aerrow shouted, laughing slightly just as he was about to dive through the portal. The pair pulled apart, and then leapt through the vortex first, followed by Junko, Stork, and Sora. Aerrow took Piper by the hand just before they jumped through, leaned over, and kissed her before disappearing through the warp gate, leaving Ace and Cloud.

"Let's end this war," Cloud stated quietly, taking both of his hands in hers, "Together…" He closed his eyes and toughed his forehead to hers, just to be near one another, possibly for the last time. The two then broke apart and dove through the warp gate.

After a strange and nauseating sensation pulsing through their bodies, and the feeling like they were floating in nothing, the nine teens flew out of another warp gate ring and out on to a large opened platform. Winds were whipping at a rapid pace, and it was absolutely freezing. They could barely see the dwarfed streets of Atmosia below them from upon the tower. The portal to the far-side was buzzing and swarming only a few meters above their heads, and the behemoth Dar'Khan was flapping his massive wings and staring down at the teens from the opposite end of the platform.

"I've been expecting you," Cypress smiled, looking over at the nine children, "But I dare say that you won't last very long without your precious Advent here to help you."

"We don't need Advent to take down you!" Aerrow retorted arrogantly, drawing his dual blades and waving them contemptuously at Cypress.

"Fine," Cypress stated as her four lieutenants appeared at her side, including Anaximenes, who looked as though nothing had happened between him and the teens, "This will be an easy fight." She stated, throwing he cloak off of her shoulders and drawing her own rapier, similar to the ones her sister fought with, "Anaximenes…even the odds for us would you?" She asked, laughing slightly, as the red headed triplet glowed slightly, as four identical copies appeared around him.

"H-he can multiply!" Finn squeaked, nervously holding his crossbow at the ready.

"We can still win this…" Ace stated, drawing his blade.

"You know what to do," Cypress smiled calmly, snapping her fingers as her lieutenants rushed towards the group. Cypress immediately went for Cyclonis, slashing her blade quickly and with deadly accuracy at the girl. Cyclonis attempted to fight her off, but unfortunately, she had to use her staff for defense against the psychotic woman, being unable to fire a shot at her, "Advent should have trained you better!" Cypress laughed, as Cyclonis fought in a frenzy to keep her off, "When I was in control of you…you were never this weak!"

"Shut up!" Cyclonis shouted, catching Cypress' blade in one of the rivets of her staff and throwing the sword across the ground. As quickly as she could, she then shot a beam of energy at Cypress, throwing her back against the ground, "Advent's twice the woman you'll ever be!" Cyclonis growled, pointing her staff in Cypress' face. Cypress gave her a wicked smirk then, as she summoned her sword back to her hand, and began slashing away at the girl once again.

"Still have that hot temper of mine I see," Cypress laughed, "My dear, you're more like me than you'd let yourself believe." Cyclonis said nothing. She thrust her knee into Cypress' torso, knocking her back away from her once again.

Meanwhile, everyone else had their hands full fighting off Cypress' minions. Anaxagoras was neck and neck with Aerrow, while Meno had her sights set on Ace while Cloud fought off one of the Anaximenes clones in her lupine form. Cloud managed to knock the clone to the ground, and with one harsh slash of her claws across his face, the clone dissolved into thin air. She then turned to notice Ace and Meno locked in combat (both evenly matched). Cloud let her emotions get the better of her, and she leapt on to Meno, knocking her away from Ace and on to the ground. Cloud then prowled around the woman, waiting for her to rise, just so she could strike again.

"Cloud what are you doing!" Ace shouted angrily.

"You know Cloud," Meno laughed, wiping a trickle of blood away from her lip, "I can see why you'd be drawn to Anteres…he's quite the catch. Maybe when the Twilight Knights are defeated and you're dead, Master Cypress will let me keep him around as my personal pet! And you'll be nothing but a bear-skin rug on the floor!" She shouted as Cloud pounced while she was down. However, this time, Meno was expecting it. Before Cloud could land on top of her Meno seized her neck, and threw her across the way. Cloud's body collided heavily with the ground, casing her to transform back into a human.

"CLOUD!" Ace shouted, wanting to rush to her assistance, but Meno cut him off, diving at him with daggers in both of her hands.

"The nine of you were fools to come here," Anaxagoras laughed, as he kicked Aerrow out from under his feet, "You're all clumsy and unprepared." He stated, arrogantly, placing his foot triumphantly on Aerrow's chest.

"You might want to re-think that," Aerrow laughed, quickly grasping his ankle, and using every ounce of strength to throw him on to the ground.

"I've had enough of this," Cypress growled, her eyes darting from the fights going on around her, back to Cyclonis. She extended her hand out in front of her, and wretched the staff from Cyclonis' hands by using some unseen force. The metal froze when it came in contact with her clutch, and Cypress snapped the staff in two, but not before using it against her niece and knocking her to the ground. Before she could get back up, Cypress pressed the tip of the blade gently against Cyclonis' neck, "It's time for your life to end my dearest niece…" She growled, adding a little more pressure to the blade with each passing second, "I have been waiting for this moment for centuries…"

"Don't you dare!" Piper shouted, rushing up to Cyclonis' side. Cloud awakened and instinctively ran up beside Piper. The three girls hadn't realized it, but they had formed a triangle. The girls then began to glow a pale white light, along with the nine other teens. None of them had realized it until that very moment, but Ace, Sora, And Aerrow were positioned in a triangle, along with Junko, Finn, and Stork. All of them had begun to glow, along with the ground below them. Cypress and her lieutenants were knocked back by a wall of white light that then surrounded the nine teens.

"NO!" Cypress screamed, staring at the symbol that had begun to form on the ground. The images of the nine guardians disappeared within the light, as three white beams appeared where they had once stood. The three beams then converged together into one point, but before the beam could launch into the air and sever the vortex, the tower began to rumble.

Rather than forming one giant beam, the three glowing beams exploded, knocking the guardians out of the triad formation and on to the ground. In shock and horror, the teens looked around in a panic, wondering what had gone wrong. They stumbled to their feet, backing away as Cypress and her lackeys encroached on them, laughing wickedly.

"What happened!" Finn exclaimed in a panic.

"This doesn't make any sense!" Aerrow shouted, looking to the others in confusion, "H-how could we be wrong!"

"All of our theories…" Piper whispered quietly, stunned, shocked, and scared, "They were all accurate!"

"It wasn't the theories that were wrong…" Ace replied, closing his eyes and clenching his fists, "It was us…"

"Nice try," Cypress laughed darkly, "But now that you're done with your little magic tricks…I've got a world to destroy…" She stated, snapping her fingers as a red rune appeared on the back of her hand, and her arm began to glow red. However, before she could move in to attack, she was knocked to the ground by a large metal craft.

It was large, with a cock-pit, opened roof with a cage covering the passenger area. The shape of the craft resembled a manta-ray, possibly to make the craft more aero-dynamic. However, it wasn't the craft itself that took everyone by surprise, it was who was piloting it. Captain Scabulous and Repton were sitting in the cockpit, as Skyler stood on the wing of the craft, holding on to the protective cage, as she held her arms out towards the nine teens.

"Quickly!" Skyler demanded, "There isn't much time!"

"I never thought I would say this…" Finn shouted over the roar of the craft's engine, quickly climbing on before Cypress or her minions could get back up, "But am I glad to see you guys!"

"Sssave it Ssstorm Hawk!" Repton growled as the last of them climbed on, "Thisss isss no time for ssstupid sssentiment!" He hissed, as the craft took off into the sky.

"What is this thing!" Aerrow asked as they quickly flew away from the top of the tower.

"It's called a sky shark," Skyler stated, as the cold winds whipped through the cage of the craft, as they flew back to the shipyard, "Jean designed them to transport knights without rides into battle. They're pretty handy in a fight…" She added as the craft landed in the ship yards. It was there where they found the entire squadron waiting with their rides, along with a few of the new ships, all holding about a dozen knights each. Advent was by herself in one of the crafts at the front of the fleet. The nine teens jumped out of the first, and headed towards Advent, who looked at them expectantly.

"Advent we're so sorry-" Aerrow began, only to be interrupted.

"Nonsense," She replied with a smile, "The nine of you did well, but it's time to end this for good." She stated climbing on to the top of the cage and turning to face the rest of the fleet, "There is our target!" she shouted, pointing to the portal where the demons were spewing fourth from, "Beyond that vortex lies the far-side, and the demons' nest! If we destroy it, we destroy Cypress' army!" She rallied, as the other twilight knights cheered. She climbed off of the cage and into the cockpit of the craft, "Are you coming?" Advent asked the teens, as they reluctantly climbed into the vehicle.

"We aren't seriously going in there are we!" Junko exclaimed nervously.

"Let's do it!" Aerrow smirked confidently as he jumped into the cockpit beside Advent.

"We can't thank you enough for your assistance," Advent stated, turning her attention to Skyler, Repton, and the Captain.

"My loyalties are with you," Captain Scabulous stated coldly.

"And I will be there for the twilight knights when I am needed," Skyler added.

"I harbor no loyalty to anyone!" Repton hissed, staring down at Advent, "I have done what the Knightsss asssked of me!"

"Fine," Advent sighed, "Than you are absolved of your service with the Twilight Knights Repton…you are free to go about as you wish." She stated, as the lizard walked away from the group and climbing on to his ride.

With that, Advent took off, with the nine guardians at her disposal. The rest of the twilight Knights followed Advent towards the vortex, flying through the air so quickly, that neither the creatures, nor Dar'Khan could stop them from flying into the portal. The last of the knights flew through the door and Skyler and the Captain climbed back into their Sky Shark, taking off, and flying in the opposite direction as the sanctum, and the portal (as to avoid anything in case things went south).

"Do you suppose Repton will be back?" Captain Scabulous asked, turning to Skyler briefly.

"I do," Skyler replied sternly, looking off into the distance, "Neither of us are free of sin, and the same goes for Repton. He has more in common with the two of us than he realizes."

"For all of our sakes," Scabulous replied darkly, "I hope you're right."

* * *

"Advent!" Sora shouted, as their ship flew at frightening speeds through the portal, "What's going on!"

"This isn't right!" Cyclonis exclaimed, "We should be on the other side by now!"

"I want off this crazy thing!" Stork shouted as the engines began to rumble violently. The craft then began to shake, as the ray-like wings flew off of the vehicle. The engines of the craft then exploded as the rift tore the craft apart piece by piece. The explosion of the engine threw Advent and the nine teens apart, and they all began to free fall though the vortex.

"Anteres!" Advent shouted as the group noted a bright white light at the end of the void, "Find yourself!" She shouted just before they all fell through the white light.

"Oooooh…" Ace grumbled, pulling himself up off of the cold ground, "W-what happened…where am I?" He looked around to find that he was in some sort of dark metropolis, the likes of which had never been seen on Atmos. Everything was far too advanced. His head was killing him, and to his knowledge, he was alone in the city street. However, it was then when he noticed Aerrow was at his side.

"Aerrow!" Ace began, shaking the teen's shoulder, "Aerrow! Aerrow wake up!" He demanded.

"What happened," Aerrow grumbled, clutching his aching head, "Where are we!" He then asked, scrambling to his feet as he noticed the stance scenery just as Ace did.

"I don't know…" Ace replied nervously, "And I don't _want_ to know…let's try and find the others and get out of here."


	33. Epilogue: Reign of the Snow White Queen

Epilogue.

The Reign of the Snow White Queen

"It's freezing," Aerrow whispered, walking through the bustling streets of the city. Tall black metal buildings surrounded him and Ace on all sides as miserable looking people walked to their destinations on the grounds below and on elevated walkways several feet above them, "What kind of place is this?"

"There's no way that this is the far side…" Ace whispered, looking around as he and Aerrow walked cautiously through the streets, "Is it?"

"No way!" Aerrow replied, shaking his head vigorously, "I was stuck in the far-side for two years…trust me, this isn't it."

"This doesn't make any sense," Ace replied, taking out his communicator, "Piper? Cyclonis? Nova? Anyone, do you copy?" There was no reply other than static. Ace shook the communicator several times, hoping to get a hold of someone.

"Damn," Aerrow sighed, scratching the back of his head, "So much for that idea." He sighed, crossing his arms, "Anyway I-" Aerrow began, looking around. However, he stopped when he noticed something in the city square. Instinctively he began heading towards it, not even bothering to let Ace know what he was heading after.

"Where are you going!" Ace shouted in frustration, chasing after the teen. He caught up with the red head, and seized his arm, pulling Aerrow out of the opened square and back into the narrow street, "What in god's name are you thinking! We have no idea where the hell we are and you think it's a good idea to run away like that!" Aerrow said nothing, he just shook his head solemnly, looking into the center of the square. Ace turned to look at what it was Aerrow had been fixated on, and he gasped.

"Oh my god…" Aerrow sighed, looking up at the ruins of what used to be the beacon tower. Hovering high above the city in the distance then was a large black floating citadel that resembled the former obsidian sanctum, tethered to the terra by thick black cables. Aerrow and Ace walked over to the ruins of the beacon tower, noticing it was blocked off by a fence. Before the ruins was a monument with a message carved in the black stone.

"Aerrow…this terrible place…" Ace stated, looking around at the city, "It's Atmosia…it's our home!"

"Dark Ace…" Aerrow began nervously, noticing that the citizens were staring at the pair with fear and confusion.

"Not now…" Ace replied, not taking his eyes off the monument as he began to read, "The still standing beacon tower shines as a reminder of how our great leader, Her Almighty Highness, Cypress Dawnrunner, Our Snow White Queen, defeated the scourge of Atmos, the Twilight Knights, and ushered in a new era of order in Atmos…That's bull shi-"

"Anteres!" Aerrow snapped, pulling him away from the monument. Everyone was staring at them, but not because they were causing a commotion. Ace and Aerrow then noticed the bulletins. Large screens hung around the city, showing everything from advertisements to propaganda to wanted posters. Flashing across one of the nearby screens was a wanted ad, calling for the heads of some very familiar individuals, "Did you see…we were on that screen…"

"I don't think that's the worst part," Ace replied, "Check out the year on that screen…2085. We weren't thrown into the far-side…"

"We were thrown fifty-years into the future!" Aerrow gasped, "But how!"

"Guards!" A nearby civilian shouted, pointing to the pair, "Guards! Help! It's the fighters of the resistance!"

The other citizens then began to scream and run as a troop of night crawlers headed through the crowd and towards the pair. However, this time, they were different. They were nearly seven feet tall, with large hulking frames. Their faces were covered by what looked like an air filtration mask, along with the black hoods that covered their faces. They were armed with what looked like some type of blaster, but it was linked to them organically. Needless to say, Cypress must have been upping her defenses. At the head of the troop of sentries was a very familiar face indeed. It was Anaxagoras, who didn't look a second older than when they had last seen him. He headed towards the two, gesturing for his sentries to move in.

"By the orders of her Royal Highness Cypress Dawnrunner," One of the sentries growled through the filtration mask, "You are under arrest. Surrender and die…"

"I'm pretty sure it's surrender or die!" Ace replied, as the sentries backed the pair into a corner.

"Somehow I think that isn't the case!" Aerrow replied. The two reached for their weapons, but it was of no use. Two sentries each seized the men, and restrained them before they could retaliate.

"It's been a long time," Anaxagoras replied arrogantly, laughing as he approached them, "But I knew you could elude us forever…I will admit, it was quite clever…jumping through the portal like that…alas, it's time for this to end."

"I've had it with you!" Aerrow shouted, noting that his legs were not restrained, and Anaxagoras was in reach. He threw his leg up into the air, slamming it into Anaxagoras' jaw, throwing him back down to the ground. In a confusion the night crawler sentries loosened their grip on Aerrow, and he slipped out of their grasp. He turned around and knocked the sentries heads together, causing them to fall to the ground, distracting the other sentries enough to slip out of their barricade. The sentries turned to pursue him, but Anaxagoras stopped them from doing so.

"Forget the kid…" Anaxagoras growled, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth as he turned to look at Ace, "The Master wants him!" He stated angrily as one of the sentries walked towards Ace while he was restrained, "We've been waiting quite a long time for you Anteres Caylo." Anaxagoras laughed darkly as the sentry thrust the end of his blaster against the back of Ace's neck, causing him to fall unconscious quite quickly.

"Don't worry Ace! I'll find the other's and we'll get out of this!" Ace could hear Aerrow shout just before blacking out, "I promi-" He heard faintly as his whole world went black.

-End Volume I: The Open Door-

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**[Message from Kingdom Come]:** *starts smiling like a dork* hey guys…teeheehee! Book one is finally over :D aaaand I finished it before the school year technically ended (it's over for me cuz Ima college chick, but not for everyone who is still in public school XD) ergo, I accomplished my goal! HOWEVERRRR I do have some important things to talk about though! FIRST AND FOREMOST! This Fanfiction is not completed. I will be posting the PROLOGUE to VOL. 2 as the NEXT CHAPTER of THIS fan fiction. Everybody got it? So all you have to do to start reading volume 2 is to keep following this fanfic :P SECONDLY! I would like to thank a couple of people mainly MSCK (sorry for condensing your name XD) and Sassygirl104 for reviewing like every chapter and being my motivation to finish (A little love for rebeccagangsta too!) I'd also like to thank Hedlum for being supportive via dA and commenting on all of my Regiment of Twilight art :3 If I forgot to mention anyone I am sorry. Thank you guys for all the feedback and helping me to finish the first book! And most importantly, thank you all for making this the most popular fan fiction I have ever written! You guys rock ^_^ and I hope to see you all soon in volume 2!


	34. Vol II: Chapter 1: Breaking Out

**[Message form Kingdom Come]:** So I've decided that since it's summer, and I have nothing to do, I am going to do a daily something. It might be artwork on dA, it might be a chapter update to my various FFs, or you know, it might just be something as silly as a daily dA journal entry :/ Most likely FF chapters, because I know that my FFs are really the only things I have going for me right now. I definitely know I want volume 2 done before the end of summer (because I have to get into the habit of finishing things I've started XD).

Without further ado…welcome back everyone to _tRoT Volume II: The Queen and the Renegades _:D We last left Atmos under Cypress' rule and in a total state of peril! What will happen now? (sorry I kind of scrapped the prologue XD it just wa)

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Chapter I.

Breaking Out

It was air was bitterly cold, but then again, in this world, cold was the only thing that the people knew. Harsh winters and frigid lives, trapped in an eternal frozen quagmire, in a city that surrounded them like a prison. Cypress' floating bastion in the sky loomed over the citizens as though it watched their every moves. Her demon sentries patrolled the streets, so whether you were within the walls of the city, or being banished to the wastelands, you were still being punished.

It had been three long and tremulous years since the Twilight Knights had flown through the dark portal, and fell out into this horrid future that awaited them. And, unfortunately, no one had any idea what had happened to Ace the day he was captured, or at least, no one did but him.

"Damn it!" A cold voice hissed from within a large iron chamber within the towering prison complex, which happened to be the epicenter of New Atmosia, "It seems like the only thing these guardians are for is being a perpetual thorn in my side!" She hissed, pacing the floor beside a large metal slab. A man was strapped down to the table with thick metal bands, and he lied unconscious upon the cold platform. Cypress pulled the hood of her black robes away from her face. She then threw the robe off of her body, throwing the black drape at Anaxagoras as he walked up beside his master. Angrily, she gripped the edge of the slab, looking down at the face of the barely conscious man, "Start another cycle…" Cypress hissed, turning to her lackey.

"Another cycle would-" Anaxagoras began nervously.

"I said…" Cypress hissed, turning to him, "Start…another…cycle!" She growled, wheeling a large machine over to the side of the slab. She lifted a thick clear cable that was protruding from the nightmarish machine and began moving it towards the man. At the end of the clear cable was some sort of hollow needle. The man watched weakly as she moved the cable towards him. Cypress then violently plunged the needle into his neck. Once she had done so, she nodded at Anaxagoras, who nodded in reply, as he began entering in all sorts of commands into a control panel sitting at the end of the slab. He pressed a large red button, as a thick black slime began to slowly seep into the clear tube, and eventually through the hollow needle, and into the body of the man. He began to scream in pain as the black liquid flowed through the tube and into his body. Cypress just stood and watched as the man seized and screamed, his wrists bleeding from his tight metal restraints. The cycle only lasted for a few moments, but to the man, it felt like it lasted for years, "Great useless thing…" She spat, looking down at the man, as she violently pulled the needle from his neck as he faded from consciousness from the pain. Cypress slammed her hands down on the injection machine furiously as she then turned to Anaxagoras.

"He does seem surprisingly resistant to your _treatments _Master Cypress," Anaxagoras then began, brushing his white hair out of his face and looking down at the man, fading in and out of consciousness.

"He should be mutated or disfigured at the least!" Cypress growled, lifting the head of the man off the slap, "There's enough liquefied Obsidia stone in your system to disfigure and maim an entire quadrant! We've been pumping this bastard full of it for three years!" Cypress growled, as she violently threw his body back down on to the slab, "Rid me of this abomination later…" Cypress growled, turning to Anaxagoras, "We have work to do." She stated darkly, heading back into the shadowy corridors of the prison.

"You're lucky cretin," Anaxagoras snapped, seizing the neck of the nearly dying man, "But I'll be back for your head later tonight…" He stated darkly before leaving the prison cell. It remained quiet in the metal chamber for several long moments, and the man strapped to the slab thought he was alone.

"Shh!" A small mechanical voice whispered quietly from within the room, "You guys are being too loud! What if someone hears us!"

"The only voice that's being loud in here is you!" Another small mechanical voice whispered.

"Both of you be quiet," Another voice added, as he heard the sounds of footsteps and paws clanking quietly against the metal.

"There he is!" The first of the tiny mechanical voices chirped, as three figures appeared, falling from an overhead ventilation shaft.

"Oh how fortuitous we've found you Master Anteres!" Sherekan squeaked, hopping up on to the metal table.

"I told you he was here," Radarr replied, rolling his eyes at Sherekan.

"I'm sorry that for the last three years you've lead us everywhere but here my good friend," Sherekan sighed, turning to him, "But now's not the time for this! We need to get Master Anteres back to the resistance hideout immediately! Cresselia will be so pleased!"

"Dark Ace!" Aerrow shouted, being the last to leave the ventilation shaft, "We're here to rescue you! Huh…I never thought I'd say that…" Aerrow walked up to the table alongside Radarr and Sherekan. He pulled at the metal cuffs, trying to break Ace free, "We'll have you outta here in no time!" Aerrow growled, trying to pry the shackles away from him.

"Master Anteres," Sherekan whimpered, brushing his head against Ace's cheek, "Please awaken…" He pleaded, looking into the man's face, as he struggled to stay conscious.

"Dark Ace…" Aerrow began, "Come on! You're more persistent than this!" Aerrow began, placing his hands on Ace's shoulders, "Usually I can't wait for you to shut up, but this time, just say something!"

"Radarr…is standing…on my chest…" Ace grumbled angrily, opening his eyes.

"Sorry," Radarr began, stepping off of him.

"Now all we have to do is break you out of these shackles," Aerrow thought, looking down at the shackle mechanism as Sherekan hopped off of the table. He scurried over to the large grey control panel on the opposite side of the table that Anaxagoras had used to initiate the injection cycle. He hopped on to it, looked over the buttons quizzically. Sherekan's ears pricked up as he pushed his paw down on a small green button besides the large red one. The metal shackles then flew open, releasing Ace from his prison. Ace sat up, his head pulsing with pain, and his stomach on fire, massaging his wrists, trying to re-stimulate the blood flow to his hands. He felt weaker than her had ever felt in his entire life, both physically and emotionally, but he wouldn't let the others know how weak he really was, so he tried to stand and carry on as nothing was wrong.

"Wow…" Aerrow began, looking him over, getting a better look at him now that he was sitting upright "You look uhm…different…" He stated nervously as Ace rose to his feet.

He looked terrible. His skin was pale, and it looked like he hadn't slept in months. He had a dark five o'clock shadow and his hair was seriously overgrown, hanging down in his face, and obscuring his vision. He had a few noticeable scars on his arms and face, indicating that he was probably beaten while being held in the prison.

"It's been rough," Ace replied, looking down at the floor, and not bothering to make any eye contact with them. They could tell that he had been broken during the last three years, and that he didn't want to be seen like this.

"We should get going!" Aerrow then whispered, hearing footsteps coming from down the corridor. They all nodded in agreement, as Aerrow jumped back up into the ventilation shaft, followed by Radarr and Sherekan. Aerrow then extended his hand out to Ace, who took it accordingly as he pulled him into the shaft.

"This vent should take us directly out of the prison," Sherekan stated, leading the group through the vent.

"How did you manage to break through the security perimeter," Ace then inquired, as the realization that after three years he was finally leaving the nightmare prison washed over him.

"Radarr and I have been investigating alternative ways into the prison for months now," Sherekan stated proudly, "It didn't take either of us long to discover that the complex's blind spot is it's ventilation system."

"And what did you mean by _resistance hideout_?" Ace then asked, sounding confused (after all, he had spent the last three years in prison).

"Well," Aerrow began with a sigh, "You know that Cypress is queen now…not just of Atmosia…but of all of Atmos. There are a couple of terras that have managed to stay out of her control, but for the most part…she rules everything…So the twilight knights joined the resistance movement. We're still the twilight knights, we're just working to save Atmos in different ways."

"Oh…" Ace replied, looking down at the silver metal below him as the group crawled through the shaft, "Then who's Cressala?"

"Cresselia?" Sherekan replied, turning around to look at Ace, "All we know is that she's the resistance leader…but none of us have ever seen her."

"Or Advent for that matter!" Radarr added with concern, "No one has been able to find her."

"In fact," Aerrow added with concern as they continued to crawl through the vents, "A lot of the Twilight Knights are missing…"

"What do you mean missing!" Ace exclaimed rather loudly.

"Shh!" The rescue squad snapped, turning to look at him.

"You must be quiet Master Anteres!" Sherekan whispered, "We may be in a vent…but we're not out of the prison yet!"

"But we almost are!" Radarr chirped, noting a large square shaped opening at the end of the vent, emitting some bright, but artificial light. Radarr and Sherekan stuck their heads out of the opening, and noticed Piper and Cyclonis standing on the ground far below them. Each girl looked around cautiously, as Piper gestured the two animals to step back. Radarr and Sherekan put their backs up against the wall as a grappling hook flew into the ventilation shaft. The girls pulled on the rope at the other end, securing the hook, so they could escape.

"Hurry!" Piper whispered, hearing sentries approach. One by one, the boys slid down the rope, landing outside of the prison. Cyclonis and Piper then directed the boys to follow them through a hole created in the fence surrounding the prison complex. It looked as though the metal had been frozen and then shattered. It was then when Ace noticed a blizzard crystal in Cyclonis' hand. Silently, they all slipped through the fence.

"We made it!" Piper smiled as they hurried away from the fence as quickly as they possibly could.

"Score one for the resistance guys," Cyclonis smiled confidently as they began casually walking through the streets, as though they hadn't just broken a wanted man out of prison. Ace looked to Piper and Cyclonis, and now that he wasn't trapped in the dark cell, he was able to get a good look at Aerrow too. They all looked so different, not nearly as battered as Ace, but just older. But then again, they were all older. It had been three years after all. The Storm Hawks were now all twenty one, and Sora would be thirteen. Somehow he felt as though part of his life was robbed from him. It was then when he thought of Cloud (it wasn't as though he hadn't thought about her in the past three years, he thought about her every day).

"Great," Ace began darkly, removing his dark grey prison uniform shirt off of his body and throwing it on to the ground as he continued walking, "So is everyone else at the hideout too?"

"Uhm…" Aerrow began, looking down at the ground as Radarr sat on his shoulder, "Dark Ace…as far as the nine guardians go…we're it…" Aerrow stated sadly as they headed through the streets.

"What!" Ace exclaimed, turning to Aerrow, his face stricken with panic, "What do you mean _we're it_! Where are they!"

"Aerrow!" Piper snapped, gently pushing Aerrow away, "That's not what he meant…they're not dead or anything…at least I think…anyway! That's not the point! The point is we just don't know where everyone else is. They could be fine for all we know."

"I didn't find the resistance until last year," Cyclonis sighed, "I was hiding out, working as a bartender until Aerrow happened to walk into my club one night…you're worried about Cloud aren't you?" She asked, placing her hand on his shoulder as they continued to walk down the street.

"I'm sure she's fine wherever she is…" Ace thought, looking towards Cyclonis, "But what about Sora?" He asked, as Sherekan hopped on to his shoulder.

"We weren't able to find her yet…" Sherekan whimpered, his ears drooping at the reminder of his missing master.

"Sora is a resourceful kid though," Aerrow smiled, turning around to look at Ace and Skerekan, "I mean…remember what it was like when Nova tried to ground her? She'll be fine."

"In the meantime," Piper added, "We need to get you out of that prison uniform…they're bound to find out that you're missing any minuet now." Piper concluded. It was at that moment when the various PA systems that were attached to the lampposts of the city began to crackle and hiss, obviously with an incoming message from _her majesty_.

"Citizens of Atmosia!" Cypress' voice growled, obviously taking note that her most prized prisoner has escaped, "The dangerous criminal, Anteres Caylo, has escaped from the Atmosian detention facility! Please note that he is armed and dangerous!"

"Armed and dangerous my ass!" Aerrow shouted at the PA system.

"Anyone caught aiding this dangerous fugitive will be arrested and executed on sight!" Cypress' voice continued angrily, "If you happen to see this criminal wandering the streets, please call for the assistance of a sentry immediately. You will be rewarded for your efforts.

"Uhm guys…" Radarr began nervously, "We should get out of here…"

"Good plan," Aerrow replied, noting that they were all in a crowded street. Thankfully, the citizens of Atmosia were distracted long enough for the group to slip into a nearby alleyway. Unfortunately however, they were spotted.

"HEY!" A sentry shouted, noting their suspicious behavior after the announcement had been made. Three other sentries began following after the first, as the group rushed into the alley.

"Damn it!" Cyclonis hissed, "How did they spot us!" The group then stopped running, as they noticed they were at the end of the alley. A dead end. They backed away from the large brick wall cutting off their escape, and turned to not the sentries.

"By the order of her highness," One of the sentries growled, "You are all under arrest for harboring fugitives!" They raised their guns, ready to shoot the group. However before they could fire, their blasters were knocked from their hands. A small and lithe shadowy figure swung from a clothesline hanging in between the two buildings which formed the alley. The figure swung down once again, knocking the four sentries to the ground like a series of dominoes. The figure then leapt down on to the ground before the fallen sentries, and thrust her hands on to the dirty ground below her. The space below the sentries then glowed a pale violet color as a rune appeared below them. Stone bars then shot up from the ground around them, trapping them within a cage.

"Let us out or face the consequences!" One of the sentries growled, trying to reach for the hooded figure through the bars.

"Get out of here!" The figure shouted, taking a smoker crystal from the pouch strapped to their thigh, and throwing it down on to the ground, filling the alley with a thick dark smoke. The group ran past the figure, and the caged sentries. As Ace ran by though, he accidentally bumped into their rescuer. The hood fell off the figure, but it was hard to establish their identity through the smoke. All Ace happened to see was a set of magenta eyes. The figure panicked, and threw the hood back up over their face before disappearing within the smoke.

"Come on!" Aerrow shouted, gesturing everyone to follow him, "I know an underground route to the hideout!" he stated, as he lead them to a nearby manhole cover. He and Ace lifted the iron cap, as Piper and Cyclonis jumped down into the sewer, followed by the men and their respective animals. They landed feet first in the dank murky water (which thankfully only went up to their ankles).

"It's just over this way," Piper stated, "We should end up right outside of the resistance hideout of we take this route."

"Is something bothering you Dark Ace?" Cyclonis asked, then noting the confused expression on Ace's face as they walked through the sewer.

"That person…" Ace began, scratching his overgrown scalp, "Was a runeologist…"

"Yeah…" Aerrow shrugged, "Who cares what they were…as long as they saved us."

"I…I think that person…" Ace began, walking up beside Aerrow and Piper, "I think that was Sora…"

"No way!" Cyclonis laughed, "Sora would be like…thirteen…that person was definitely our age! There's no way that could have been Sora…right?"


	35. Chapter 2: Matteo Nabokov

Chapter II.

Matteo Nabokov

Aerrow pushed up on the manhole cover, shoving it out of the way as he crawled out of the tunnel, Radarr on his shoulder. He held his hand back out to those still inside, helping the girls out of the manhole. He held his hand out to Ace, who casually pushed it away, as though saying : I don't need help. They group was standing amidst a poorly lit street, beside a nearby alleyway. Cyclonis gestured the group to follow her down the alley, looking over her shoulder as she watched for anything suspicious.

"The house is just this way," Piper began, as they neared the end of the alley. They stopped at a brick wall, to which Cyclonis approached first. She ran her index fingers through the grout of the wall in a certain pattern. The wall then began to glow the moment she pulled her finger away, as the wall disintegrated, revealing a door. The door slid open revealing a short, but wide hallway. They all stepped inside, Aerrow, Piper, and Cyclonis, walking forward as though this place was nothing new to them. Ace however, was looking around the hall in confusion. The place looked run-down to say the least. He had begun to wonder how, with all of the resources Advent had, how the resistance hideout ended up being such a hole. Aerrow pulled back a weathered old sheet which acted as the door to the inner part of the hideout.

"Oh thank the Gods!" Nova's voice chimed, as the azure haired woman bounded into the center of the large but shabby room. She rushed past everyone else, and went immediately to Ace, throwing her arms around him, "I can't believe that you're all…right…good God…what happened to you Anteres?" Nova asked, taking a good look at Ace for the first time in two years.

"It's been…" Ace began, looking down to the floor, "Rough…the point is that I'm out."

"Cypress is going to be looking all over for you now that you've escaped," Ravess stated, walking over to Ace from the opposite side of the room, "But you have no idea how happy we are to see you?"

"Likewise," Ace replied flatly.

"Who the hell is this?" A voice asked coldly, stepping in to the room. He pushed past Nova and stared Ace down, as though he was a dead animal dragged off of the streets, "I don't like new faces…and what the hell were the three of you thinking bringing an outsider into the hideout!" He demanded, crossing his arms and staring towards Piper, Aerrow, and Cyclonis.

"Excuse me," Ace hissed, glaring down at the youth before him, "But who the hell are _you_!"

The person standing before him was maybe twenty-five. He had short, spiked, inky black hair and dark brown eyes. His skin was dark and sepia toned, and he had dark green tribal tattoos across his face that looked vaguely familiar. As a matter of fact, this boy looked very familiar. Ace couldn't quite figure out where, but he had seen this boy before.

"The name's Matteo," He replied haughtily, "Matteo Nabokov…I started the resistance along with Cresselia."

"Nabokov?" Ace asked curiously, looking to the young man, "As in Nikolai and Zelkovitz Nabokov?"

"I'm their son," Matteo replied contemptuously, looking over Ace with distrust, "Advent enlisted my help during the Call to Arms. After we flew through the time rift, I banded together what little Twilight Knights were left and started the resistance…most of them were killed. So begs the question, who _are you_!"

"Anteres Caylo," Ace snapped, looking down at Matteo, "Maybe you'd know me better as _the Dark Ace_."

"Hmm…" Matteo replied, changing his attitude a bit, "Looks like Her royal highness' prison took a toll on you…you didn't look so _run down_ the last time I saw you."

Ace said nothing in response. He understood that this _child_ had simultaneously lost his father and potentially his mother, and was thrown into the same nightmare world as he was. Not to mention, having created and governing a resistance movement in this situation had to have taken strength and maturity (which at the time he probably didn't have). Still, it didn't give him the right to act like such an ass.

"Our priority now is to find the rest of the Twilight Knights," Nova stated, quickly changing the subject as she gestured the group to gather around a tabletop map of what looked like New Atmosia.

"Although I hate to say it," Ravess added with a sigh, "You've been the only Twilight Knight we've managed to locate recently." She explained, turning to Ace.

"Even with Aerrow's ability as a guardian," Piper added with a sigh as she looked down to the ground.

"What ability?" Ace inquired, turning to Aerrow with confusion on his face.

"I can kind of sense the other guardians…" Aerrow explained with a slight shrug, "I never realized it until I sensed that you were trapped in the prison. And as far as I can tell, none of the others are even on this terra, that or they're nowhere nearby."

"Cyrus and Anaximenes are working to get us gate passes to further the resistance into the city," Matteo added, explaining the situation to Ace, "If we can get to the loading docks, we plan on hijacking a cargo transport. If we can get the rest of the underground to Lumina city, we'll be safe."

"The Terra city of Lumina is one of the few terras that isn't under Cypress' control," Ravess explained, "Not to mention several of the other Twilight Knights are already there."

"Including Cresselia, Starling, The Doctor, and plenty of others," Sherekan added reassuringly.

"The only problem is we don't know if they've found anyone else," Cyclonis added with a sigh as she crossed her arms, "Cypress is monitoring all calls and transmissions…we can't even get a hold of them with more primitive communications like radio. If it calls, Cypress has ears on it."

"Now what did you mean by _Cyrus and Anaximenes_?" Ace asked, "I knew Anaximenes is a spy, but what about Cyrus?"

"Cyrus joined Cypress as a lieutenant a few months after she passed through the rift," Nova explained, a little bitterly, "Cypress had her in one of her prisons and presented her with an ultimatum. Either die, or join her." Nova added, feeling as though Cyrus shouldn't have chosen the latter.

"Cyrus only did what she did in benefit to the resistance," Ravess snapped, jumping to Cyrus' defense, "A lot of people are alive today because of her Nova, and you know that. Not to mention Cyrus was able to give us the security clearance we needed to break Ace out of the prison complex."

"She's also given us the clearance we need to get into the shipyard," Matteo stated sternly, "Tomorrow we'll be moving the rest of the resistance to Lumina City, and thank the Gods for Cyrus, or else we'd be stuck in this hell-hole Cypress calls _New Atmosia_!"

"Tomorrow!" Ace exclaimed (after all, he had just been broken out of prison), "What if there are other Twilight Knights left behind? Don't you think-"

"No offense Dark Ace," Aerrow interrupted, "But we've been planning a way to get us out of New Atmosia months before we even _found _you. We've got way too many other resistance members who are suffering here. We have no choice but to get them out and now that we have the opportunity, we're acting on it."

"That's bull-" Ace began.

"I don't want to hear another word of this," Matteo growled, "I'm the leader of the resistance movement, and as long as Advent is still missing, Aerrow is the technical leader of the Twilight Knights. You don't have a say _Dark Ace_." Matteo added haughtily.

"Our people will be moving to the shipyards tomorrow at midnight," Nova explained, "In the meantime, if you want to go out and search for any familiar faces, be our guest Anteres…but if you're not at the shipyards by midnight, we aren't coming back to find you." Nova stated sadly. Ace let out a sigh. Maybe it was the 'Advent' in him that wanted to make sure everyone left the terra safely, but the 'Ace' in him knew that this was a war, and sacrifices need to be made.

"I'll go instead," Cyclonis stated, speaking up on Ace's behalf, "My face is a little less infamous around New Atmosia. The night crawlers will be a little less suspicious to see me walking around the streets."

"Good idea Cyclonis," Aerrow nodded with a smile as she gave him a nod and a smile back, "Our priority should be keeping all of the twilight knights out of Cypress' prisons."

"It'd be a bit counterproductive to have you be thrown back in just after we've broken you out," Nova added in agreement.

"You aren't going alone though," Ace demanded, knowing how dangerous the streets were for anyone these days, "At least let me accompany you!"

"No," Ravess began, turning to him, "Patrols are going to be looking everywhere for you! If you leave to find others that might not even be here, and you get caught, you could ruin everything we've worked for. It's been two years Dark Ace…remember that. To say that times have changed…would be a vast understatement."

"And no one's leaving this hideout without my consent," Matteo growled, looking to Ace, "And as far as I'm concerned, no one is leaving until tomorrow. If there are any other Twilight Knights here, than I guess it sucks to be them."

"Listen Matthias or Mattrio or whatever your name is!" Ace shouted, getting dangerously close to Matteo, "I saw someone out there no less than an hour ago, and I'll be damned if that wasn't Sora! I know it was her, and she's still out there! Not to mention, the last time I checked, Sora is one of the nine guardians, doesn't that make her high priority?"

"It couldn't have been Sora," Aerrow stated, shaking his head, "I would have sensed it."

"But there is always the chance that it could be," Nova added, "It might be worth investigating."

"I said no!" Matteo snapped, turning to Nova, "I'm not risking any more lives at the expense of one! We'll move forward with the plan as scheduled, and I don't want to hear any more about this until we reach Lumina City."

"What about a locator spell!" Ace then demanded after several minuets of silence, "Can't we try one of those?"

"Do you see any kinds of crystals around here?" Piper snapped, "I-I'm sorry…it's just that Cypress has every crystal in half of Atmos under lock and key. Cyclonis and I plan on using a locator once we reach Lumina city and have access to something!"

"Cypress didn't leave us with anything," Cyclonis then added with a sigh, "Not even something as minuscule as a drizzle crystal."

"That assailant had something though," Ace stated, "Meaning that-"

"Are you going to make us regret breaking you out of prison!" Matteo snapped, "For the last time! Leave it!"

"Fine…" Ace snapped, pushing away from the group and walking deeper into the hideout. Cyclonis let out a sigh of frustration as she followed him into the safe house.

"Have you lost your mind?" Cyclonis stated, seizing his arm, "Good God Ace! I know that Cypress took away your pride in that cell but did she take away your common sense too! What are you thinking!"

"I'm going out there," Ace stated angrily, "Whether that brat Matteo wants me to go or not. You're welcome to join me…but there's nothing you can do to stop me."

* * *

"Any news on our little renegade?" Cypress sighed, staring out of the balcony on her floating citadel. Anaxagoras let out a long sigh as he approached his master.

"Unfortunately…" Anaxagoras began, "No…"

"No matter," Cypress sighed, "It won't be much longer now." She smiled, walking away from her perch as she walked into the center of the room. It was there where a stone pedestal stood, upon the top of which, was a glowing green orb. Cypress ran her fingers across the smooth surface of the stone. She took the reliquary hanging at her side, and held it up to the orb. The artifacts began to glow as the dull green light flooded away from the stone, and was absorbed by the reliquary, "One by one the Twilight Knights will come scurrying out of their hiding places and into my traps like the rats they are. They plan on smuggling what little forces they have here on to one of my transports to Lumina City." Cypress smiled, holding the now glowing reliquary in her hands, "At least, what I've come to understand."

"Then why don't we stop them!" Anaxagoras shouted, ignoring his Master's current and smug demeanor, "I can have my men block off all-"

"Silence," Cypress stated quietly, hanging the reliquary back at her side, "I want them to dispatch to Lumina City."

"But why!" Anaxagoras questioned as though Cypress had been stricken by insanity. She turned and gave him an angry look.

"Do you really want to know?" Cypress asked, her attitude changing instantly, as she laughed slightly, walking towards him, "I do have a plan…a plan that fortunately requires all of the Twilight Knights flocking to Lumina city."

"Then what is this plan of your's?" Anaxagoras inquired.

"You question me with such a wicked tone," Cypress began, "Don't you trust my judgment? I've gotten us this far? Haven't I? With little help from you might I add."

"Forgive me master," Anaxagoras replied, looking down to the floor.

"I digress," Cypress sighed, pacing the floor around him, "I suspect Cyrus will return to the twilight knights soon enough. Little does she know that while she's been assisting the resistance, she's been doing us quite the favor as well."

"I beg your pardon?" Anaxagoras asked, raising an eyebrow quizzically.

"She gave the resistance the security clearances they needed to remove Anteres Caylo from my prison," Cypress smiled, placing a hand on his face, "Not to mention, she gave them all the information they would need to pass through the security gates in the city, allowing them to reach the shipyards."

"We should behead her for that," Anaxagoras replied disdainfully, "Not praising her!"

"I want them to head to Lumina city," Cypress sighed in frustration, "Have I not made that blatantly clear?

"Lumina City is one of the few free places in Atmos, next to the terras, Wyndia, Phusis, and the holy terra Heissigaurt," Anaxagoras added in frustration, "Why would you _want _them to escape to it!"

"Three words," Cypress began with a wicked smile, "Red Palace Tournament."

"The fights?" Anaxagoras asked, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"The resistance and the Twilight Knights," Cypress stated, walking back to the balcony. She leaned over the rails and looked out on to the city, "They give these poor souls hope. Anteres Caylo's escape will only give them more. Once they convene in Lumina City, I am sure the Twilight Knights will reform, and begin the revolution."

"Forgive me Master," Anaxagoras sighed, "But I still don't follow."

"The winner of the Red Palace Tournament in Lumina City," Cypress stated deviously, "becomes an honorary knight in my court. Not to mention, gold, and one of the aurora stones we confiscated from the Twilight Knights. But there is one other thing…can you think of what that is?"

"When someone becomes a knight at your court," Anaxagoras thought, "They're given access to places forbidden to commoners…so that means-"

"The crystal vaults and the prisons," Cypress stated, "Now…can you think of anything that they might want in there? Their crystal supply will be limited, even once they reach Lumina City. Not to mention, can you think of anyone they might want to rescue? Winning the tournament would give them the access they need to arm themselves. Thanks to Cyrus, they now have that information."

"This all sounds like it would play negatively in our favor Master," Anaxagoras began, walking up to the balcony beside her.

"So you would think," Cypress smiled, turning to him, "Cyrus has given them all the information they need to begin an uprising, true. But the one thing that stands in their way, is achieving victory in the tournament. To which, there are no rules. The resistance, and the twilight knights will enter, making it official now that they are out of hiding. That, would bring the hope back to all of the people of Atmos. I predict that they will all enter, giving them a greater chance of someone taking the title. Seeing as how there are no rules to the tournament…I predict that there will be quite a few _casualties_ on their side. Imagine the crowds screaming and cheering for our fighters, as they watch their hope die in the center if the ring. Rather than starting a manhunt for all those involved in the movement, we can just kill them all in the tournament. I've provided the bait, and now all we have to do is wait for the rats to come crawling towards my trap. Not to mention, I want that wench Cresselia to come out of her hole! I will enjoy slicing her throat myself during the fights."

"What about Advent?" Anaxagoras inquired, "She's still on the verge. Not even the twilight knights know her whereabouts."

"I've already planned that," Cypress stated with a smug smile, "Why do you think I haven't killed Cyrus yet? Having that mole around will draw Advent out of her hiding. I'm sure of it. If I force all of my lieutenants to enter the tournament, and Cyrus meets with an _ill fate_, I'm sure Advent will come rushing to her lover's rescue."

"So you've thought this whole thing through have you?" Anaxagoras began seductively as he wrapped his arms around Cypress' waist, "How could I have doubted you Master?"

"Because you are my sweet little fool," Cypress began deviously.

* * *

**[Message from Kingdom Come]: **Sorry guys. I didn't mean for it to take me so long to update (life has a tendency to hit me ya know ^^') Anyway, soooo chapter 3 to come soon. Oh! And chapter 1 of Overture to come soon to :D Also guys, I'm taking requests on my deviantArt account for certain characters (namely the one's I haven't drawn yet) but if you're interested, just stop by my dA account (link on my profile) and drop a request :P


	36. Chapter 3: Destruction's Right Hand

Chapter III.

Destruction's Right Hand

"I think you're crazy to be out here," Cyclonis whispered as she and Ace ducked through the dark and shadowy alleys of the industrial city. Both were cloaked, but still happened to look conspicuous.

"Stowe it," Ace replied, coldly, looking around the alley corners for any signs of sentries. The coast was clear, so he gestured Cyclonis to follow him out into the street.

"I doubt whoever that was is going to be in the same place twice," Cyclonis began, noticing that they were heading back to the same blocked off alleyway.

"Of course not Miss Cyclonis!" Sherekan squeaked, poking his head out from under Ace's robes, "But she might have gone in deeper!"

"Sherekan!" Cyclonis exclaimed, "What are you doing here? And what do you mean by that?"

"Watch and learn," Sherekan smiled, leaping off of Ace's shoulder, and scampering to the wall. He leapt into the air, and pushed his paw against one of the higher bricks. The brick indented into the wall, and the barricade melted away, "Look familiar?"

"It's the same type of pseudo-wall we use at the resistance hideout," Cyclonis stated, as the trio headed down the dark alleyway now before them. As they entered the passage, the wall resealed, and they continued onward. There was a faint orange light at the end of the corridor, to which they walked towards.

"It's a safe bet that this is where they'll be." Ace nodded to Cyclonis, who rolled her eyes at him.

"Who the hell are you!" a voice exclaimed, seemingly leaping out of nowhere, as the figure wrapped their arms around Ace's neck, and held a knife up to his neck.

"By the Gods!" Sherekan gasped, rushing towards Ace and the assailant.

"Relax!" Ace called, still in the assailant's grasp, "We're friends! You rescued us from Cypress' sentries a few hours ago!" Ace explained, recognizing the assailant's voice.

"I rescue a lot of people from those bastards," The figure replied, pushing Ace back towards Cyclonis, "What do you want from me! Here to recruit me for-" She continued, getting a good look at the faces before her, "Oh my god…"

"Oh miss Sora!" Sherekan then shouted, leaping towards the assailant, "It is you! Oh master Anteres was right all along! How fortuitous indeed!"

"Sherekan!" The assailant smiled, lifting the creature into her arms, "I've missed you so much! It's been years!"

"Only two," Sherekan stated, looking the newfound Sora over, "Good heavens my dear what happened to you?"

"What happened to all of you," Sora stated, looking to Ace and Cyclonis, "It's no wonder I didn't recognize either of you…you both look terrible."

"You don't look so great yourself," Ace stated, taking a good look at the new Sora. She was older now, in fact, she looked to be about twenty. This certainly wasn't the little girl they had met on terra Wyndia anymore. Her long magenta hair had been poorly sliced off and she looked angry and vindictive, "What happened to you Sora?"

"I don't know," Sora sighed, lifting her infamous satchel off of the ground, "I guess when we went through the time rift, it effected me. When I came out on the other side…I was ten years older. I tried finding you all…I really did…"

"How were you able to keep your crystals!" Cyclonis stated with some shock, looking down at Sora's satchel.

"When I came out on the other side," Sora stated, "I quickly figured out that this nightmare was actually Atmosia, just ruled by Cypress. No one would be looking for me though, because my face on the wanted posters was my ten year old self. So taking that knowledge in hand, I took all my stuff and hid. I know Cypress would love to throw me in her stockades. I've been helping innocent people who were wrongly accused escape the sentries for the past two years. Had I recognized you guys though, I would have taken you to this place I call _home_. But Ace…how did you know it was me?"

"Call it an intuition," Ace replied quietly, "I just knew…"

"Something doesn't add up though," Cyclonis stated, scratching her head, "How was it that Aerrow wasn't able to sense you?"

"I'm ten years older instantly," Sora stated, "Maybe he's only sensing my ten year old self. I'm a scientist remember…I don't follow all that magic mumbo-jumbo…that's your department."

"It doesn't matter," Ace began, shaking his head, "Not right now anyway."

"We should all get back to the resistance hideout," Cyclonis nodded, "Nova and Ravess will be thrilled to see you."

"And I'd love to see the look on that punk Matteo's face," Ace sneered, crossing his arms and heading down the corridor."

"Have you found anyone else yet?" Sora inquired, as Sherekan snuggled up on her shoulder, "Or is it just the four of you then? And who is Matteo?"

"He's the resistance leader unfortunately," Ace replied, scoffing at the idea.

"And as far as the others go," Cyclonis sighed, "Most of them are in Lumina City…but as far as the guardians go, it's us, Aerrow, and Piper…"

"You think they might be in Lumina City?" Sora asked, "I know about the communications monitoring that Cypress instated a few years back, so you wouldn't be able to know for sure."

"You hit the nail on the head with that one," Cyclonis sighed, as they reached the barricade again, "The last two years have been rough…"

"You're telling me," Sora stated, crossing her arms as they headed out of the hidden alleyway and back into the streets of New Atmosia.

"We shouldn't waste any more time," Cyclonis stated, gesturing everyone to follow her, "This place is crawling with Cypress' goons." She whispered as they walked out into the street, Ace putting up his hood as he did so.

"The resistance has a plan," Ace whispered in Sora's ear, "They intend on smuggling us and what's left of the resistance here in New Atmosia on to a cargo transport in Lumina City. We'll all be safer there."

"Then I suppose I should be saying thank you to you guys," Sora whispered back, laughing slightly, "No way I'd want to be stuck in this hell hole."

"Well well," An all too familiar voice laughed, walking up behind them, "I suppose I should thank you lot…saving me the trouble of hunting you down." She laughed. The group turned to find Meno herself standing amidst the street with a small collection of sentries behind her, "I've missed you in my corrections facility Dark Ace…I can't believe you'd run away. Even with all of the fun times we had."

"Piss off Meno!" Cyclonis hissed, stepping before Ace.

"That's no way to talk to a city official!" Meno hissed, sending a jolt of reddish, visible energy through the air, striking Cyclonis down, "This will be hardly a fair fight…given that you're all weaponless."

"So you think," Sora stated, reaching for something within her satchel. Meno let out a sigh and rolled her eyes, as she extended her hand in front of her, and called Sora's satchel to her grip, ripping it off of her shoulders.

"You shouldn't even have these," Meno sighed, tossing the satchel to one of her sentries, which now surrounded the group.

"Now what!" Cyclonis growled, taking a step closer to the center of the entrapment.

"We fight," Sora shrugged, as the sentries came in closer to them.

"How noble," Meno smiled, walking in towards them, "But my Sora…have you grown up. I've been so foolish, searching for a little girl, when I've really been searching for the miscreant who's been setting all of my arrestees free."

"I can't believe it took you this long to find me," Sora snapped, swatting Meno's hand away from her face.

"I'll take pleasure in ending you lives once you've been properly detained," Meno growled, slapping Sora across the mouth, "As for you Dark Ace…I so look forward to having you back under lock and key. Master Cypress even said I could keep you alive for my own personal enjoyment. You'll make a suitable addition to my collection of mates. Although, that abhorrent druid you're so fond of must be dealt with first."

"You leave Cloud out of this!" Ace growled, staring Meno down.

"I love it when you get so passionate," Meno laughed darkly, "You'll be fun in the bedchamber…I can tell."

"Shut up!" Ace growled, as he began to glow a dark bluish color. Cyclonis and Sora took a step away from him, feeling an energy like that only once before. It was similar to the waves emitting from Cypress' old sanctum. Sora looked down at the old burn mark on her hand, that the stone had left there several years back.

"What in god's name-" Meno began, as Ace's eyes were consumed in blackness. And like the claws of an animal, thick, black, razor like appendages, nearly two feet in length retracted from Ace's fingers. He leapt towards one of the sentries, thrusting his claws into the skull of the nearest guard. He slashed through the bodies of every sentry within his range, as he did so, the civilians of the city were screaming and running for cover. The sentries nervously backed away from the girls and Sherekan, moving to retreat. All except Meno, who stood her ground, even as he approached.

"What did she do to him…" Cyclonis whispered, as the energy emitting from Ace's body began to shatter the ground below them.

"fall back…" Meno began, taking a step away from Ace, "I said fall back!" She commanded as the remaining sentries headed in the other direction, Meno following after, "We'll meet again Dark Ace!" She growled, before hopping on to what looked like a Sky Shark and flying back towards the floating citadel.

"What the hell was that!" Cyclonis exclaimed as she, Sora, and Sherekan made and effort to keep their distance from him.

"Cypress…" Ace growled, as his claws retracted back into his hands, and his eyes returned to normal, "She did something to me…something I can't fight back!"

"We can talk about this later!" Sora exclaimed, "we should hightail it outta here before they get back!"

"Sora's right," Cyclonis nodded, taking Ace's arm and draping it over her shoulder, as she noticed he could barely stand.

* * *

"You did what!" Matteo growled as they walked back into the hideout.

"I know what you're thinking," Cyclonis scoffed, rolling her eyes, "But, we found something you might be interested in." She smiled arrogantly as Sora walked into the hideout behind her.

"Sora!" Piper chimed rushing to her, but then stopping once she noticed what the time rift had done to her, "You look…different…"

"It's been a tough ride," Sora replied, looking down to the floor.

"Either way," Sherekan purred, "We're so happy to have you back my dear!"

"It's good to be back," Sora smiled, stroking his large ears, "Cyclonis filled me in on what's going on here. Is it really true that the others are missing?"

"Stork, Finn, Cloud, and Junko," Aerrow sighed, shaking his head slightly, "But you've no idea how good it is to see you Sora!" Aerrow then chimed positively, "At least we can now head to Lumina city with a clear conscious!"

"We should start heading out soon too," Nova then sated, noting what time it was, "If we wait any longer, the cargo drop ship will take off without us, and Cyrus' security clearance is only good for tonight."

"Then what are we waiting for," Ravess began, throwing a satchel over her shoulder, "Everyone, keep your head low and maintain a low profile."

'You don't have to tell me twice," Nova smiled, taking her packed belongings over her shoulder as well.

"You should tell them about what we just saw back there," Cyclonis whispered, placing a hand on Ace's shoulder before he could leave.

"And give Matteo another reason not to trust me," Ace whispered back, pushing her hand off of his shoulder, "I don't think so…I bet it won't even happen again."

"I disagree," Cyclonis sighed, shaking her head as the group left the safe house.

"Come Radarr!" Sherekan chimed, standing in the doorway of the hideout, "There's no way I'm leaving you behind. After all, I'm going to need someone to keep me sane on the flight to Lumina city!"

"Where would you be without me Sherekan," Radarr laughed, shaking his head as he headed to the doorway of the safe house, following after the human members of the group.

* * *

"Everything went according to plan," Meno stated direly, walking into Cypress' throne room, "As it turns out, all you have to do is make the Dark Ace angry…something that shouldn't be too hard to do, given his temperament."

"Excellent," Cypress smiled, sitting upon her frost coated throne. Meno and her then watched as two sentries heaved a large stone archway into the center of the throne room. Meno looked to it curiously as Cypress smiled at the artifact, "Do you like it? Thankfully for me, the door to the far-side, and my reliquary aren't the only entrances. This was created by the dark God himself."

"Do you think it a bad omen to keep that demon around in the citadel?" Meno began, looking to the green orb in the center of the throne room, then to the arc.

"Leave your superstitions to the scryers Meno," Cypress sighed, rolling her eyes, "Dar'khan has helped us get this far in our conquering Atmos."

"Forgive me Master," Meno began darkly, "but I don't trust him…"

"It's not your job to trust," Cypress smiled, not looking at her, "But I do have a new task for you and your men."

"What would that be Master?" Meno asked.

"The Red Palace Tournament," Cypress smiled, turning to her, "I want you and your men to travel to Lumina City and enter."

"Why Master?" Meno inquired, raising an eyebrow, "That seems a bit frivolous to me?"

"It will make sense in due time," Cypress smiled, "As long as Carver remains champion of the tournament, all will be fine, but I do wish for you to enter. Let's just say it will give you the ample opportunity to dispose of miss Cloud, like you've been wanting to do for years now."

"Where do I sign up?" Meno laughed darkly.

"Don't sound so eager," Cypress replied, walking over to the archway, "The tournament is a few days away." She sighed, walking towards Meno. She placed something in her hands and then walked back to the arch, "That security pass will get you access to the transports to Lumina City. I want you to go there and register. Carver will be meeting you at the shipyards of Lumina. If you encounter a Twilight Knight, or member of the resistance, bypass them…lull them into a false sense of security. Let them get comfortable in Lumina…"

"Only to have their lives end in the tournament," Meno laughed, "How perfect this will be!"

"I don't really care who wins the tournament," Cypress then stated, "Anaxagoras and his brothers will be entering too, and I could care less which of you five wins…I just want to make sure all of those twilight knights lose…understand me?"

"Perfectly," Meno smiled.

"Oh, and take Cyrus with you," Cypress smiled darkly. Meno turned to Cypress, looking confused, "I need her to enter the tournament as well…if she declines, tell her it's by my orders."

"Yes Master Cypress," Meno added, bowing her head before her as she moved to leave the throne room. The door slammed behind Meno, leaving Cypress alone in the throne room. Once she was alone, Cypress took the green orb sitting on the pedestal and removed it. She walked over to the archway, at the top of which was a large. concave indentation at the crest. The orb drifted out of her hands and into the indentation, nesting itself within the arch. A vortex appeared within the archway, as Cypress took a step backwards. The portal within the archway flickered and glowed in sync with the old reliquary hanging on her hips.

_All of the pieces will fall into place soon enough_, Cypress thought triumphantly, _Now that the wheel is set into motion…_

* * *

**[Message from Kingdom Come]: **Hi guys! So we now have chapter three of the oh so exciting Regiment of Twilight. The first thing you might be confused on, is the title of this chapter, I.e. why is it called _Destruction's right hand_? Okay, so without going into too much detail about it, because it's your job to interpret what I might mean (who knows what I really mean anyway! I'm sure 90% of every interpretation made about a book has like…nothing to do with what the original author thought…) Anyway, I will tell you that it has something to do with Cypress and the Dark Ace…but that's all. Second on the agenda, the next chapter of _Overture _is up, so go read it D: lol just kidding! Anyway, one question though, who would be interested in a more polished/edited PDF copy of volume 1? Because if no one wants it I am not going through re-editing it and making a spiffy PDF download if no one wants it. Also, I have to say, I am like, seriously impressed guys! There has been a massive amount of hits/visitors from all over who have stopped by to read. Let's just say, the average amount of hits I get on this story per month, I have gotten in the past 11 days. So wow! Thanks to all those who are reviewing/stopping by for a read! And that's all I have to say! I'll update either this or overture sometime soon guys! So I'll see you soon!


	37. Chapter 4: Lumina City

**[Message from KC]:** OHMYGOD! I know it's been forever since I updated! I'm sorry -_- anyway! It's good to be back guys with an exciting new instalment! anyway, so I finished (and for those of you who are wondering...NO I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIX MY SHIFT KEY XD) the notes for voulme 2 (for realz this time!) and it's going to be roughly 34 MORE chapters excluding the epilogue XD...-_- anyway...the last book had two acts, the first act ending at chapter 17 and the second act ending at chap. 31. Okay yeah...so I think this book is going to have 3 acts instead of 2. Mostly because the red palace tournament is going to end at chapter 15 and the fights are going to be really fucking LONG! And I decided that it's going to be three acts because the Heissigaurt/Finn and Doc. Constantine chapters are pretty fcuking long too. So anyway! Life has stopped hitting me in the face with sh!t so I can actually get back to work on this :D YAY! so more chapters to come for volume 2 and for overture!

Also guys, if you feel like I need to update faster, or it's been more than five days since I've updated and you want me to update, seriously, do not be afarid to drop me a PM telling me to get my ass in gear and start writing. I would actually love it if I got PMs saying: KC Y U NO UPDATE FASTAR...actually, come to think of it, if someone sent me that in a PM, they would offically be my hero. ANYWAY! That's all I have to say :P enjoy the chapter guys!

* * *

Chapter IV.

Lumina City

"I can't believe we're finally getting out of Atmosia," Aerrow stated, a but melancholically as the last of the resistance stowaways climbed into the designated transport, "I never thought I'd be saying that."

"This isn't Atmosia," Nova added, as the hatch to the cargo ship slowly began to shut, "This godforsaken dry terra…I haven't had a beer in months! I'm going crazy!" "Only furthering the idea in our minds that you have an alcohol problem," Ace stated, making himself comfortable in between two crates.

"Think what you want," Nova replied with a shrug, "You'd drink too if you had to cater to the needs of the Twilight Knights everyday."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ravess asked, turning to Nova.

"Let's face it," Nova stated, sitting down on the floor, as the engines of the transport began to hiss and rumble, and the craft began to ascend, "You guys who just joined have it so easy. Back when I was a twilight knight-"

"Here we go again…" Aerrow sighed, rolling his eyes with a slight smile.

"Advent didn't stroke our egos constantly," Nova continued, "She treated us exactly like what we were, her personal attack dogs! Not to mention, we didn't have the tempest back when the knights were first formed! We didn't even have skimmers! You guys got to live in your big cushy carrier, having your asses hauled around all day. I'm not saying that we shouldn't leave this place, but I think it was a nice slap to the face for you guys."

"Nova!" Piper exclaimed.

"What," Nova replied, a little miffed, "You were all too soft! Even Cypress knew that. But now that you've been exposed to some _real_ fighting and _real_ survival, she's got another thing coming."

"I just can't wait to join the rest of the fighters in Lumina City," Matteo added sternly, sitting down next to Nova.

"I'm confused though," Ace then began, "How is it that Cypress doesn't have control of Lumina City? Or other terras for that matter?"

"Feudal Atmos has an enchantment shroud over it," Cyclonis stated, "It has for hundreds of years. That's why there aren't many maps showing its location, and they're not always accurate. Not to mention, if someone went looking for it, they'd run the risk of crashing into the terra. I wouldn't be surprised if Cypress hasn't been bothered to find it because it isn't worth the search."

"It's kind of the same way with terra Phusis," Piper then added, "Cypress has tried taking it over in the past, but the druids just fly away until she leaves."

"Not to mention ever time she's tried to destroy their terra," Aerrow added, laughing slightly, "They just restore it. She tried freezing it, and everything on the terra adapted. She tried burning it down, and the druids just grew everything back the next day. I can see why she'd give up. And as for terra wyndia, she's already tried seizing it once, but she was overthrown by the scientists. She already has Atmosia after all, why would she care about the others."

"But it still doesn't make sense," Ace stated boldly, "Lumina City is the epicenter of culture in Atmos. She could make a lot of people miserable by taking it over."

"Who cares why she hasn't taken it!" Matteo growled, "The point is, it's the only safe place that we can go in Atmos! Let's take that with a bullet."

_Still,_ Ace thought, staring off into space, and deciding that it was for the best that he keep his thoughts to himself, _Things just don't add up…_

* * *

"The New Atmosian resistance is heading to Lumina City as we speak," Anaxagoras stated, walking into the throne room. All of Cypress' lieutenants were standing at attention around her throne, awaiting his arrival, including Carver and Cyrus, who looked as nervous as ever. Cypress leaned lazily against her hand as she gave a twisted smile.

"Perfect," Cypress smiled, rising from her seat, "Then we shall move forward as planned. Anaximander will stay behind and govern New Atmosia."

"Why Anaximander?" Meno growled, turning to Cypress.

"Because I need all of you to accompany me to my villa in Lumina," Cypress then stated, turning to Meno, "Anaximander has proven himself in combat, just as all of you have, but he has also proven himself politically…he will do a fine job in my absence, I am sure."

"Thank you master," The dark and watery triplet began, bowing his head slightly before Cypress.

"After all," Cypress then stated, turning to the rest of her lieutenants, "I need you all for the Red Palace tournament."

"Even myself your highness?" Cyrus began, feeling a little trapped and confused.

"Yes Cyrus," Cypress smiled, taking a few steps towards the woman, "Even you…After all, you've yet to prove your loyalty to the kingdom. I have greatly appreciated your years if service, but crushing your _friends_ in the tournament will show me that you are the loyal warrior I have hoped you'd be."

"…you can count on me your highness," Cyrus then stated, after several minuets of silence.

"As you all know by now," Cypress stated, "The Twilight Knights and those in the resistance plan on entering the tournament to gain access to forbidden points in the city. I don't care who wins the tournament…it just has to be one of you!"

"You'd all be wise to throw the matches once we snuff out those pathetic knights," Carver stated darkly, "I like my title as king of the red palace tournament…and I don't intend on loosing it to a bunch of crystal _freaks_."

"Watch your tongue Carver," Anaxagoras hissed, getting dangerously close to Carver, "We _crystal freaks _could end your pathetic existence in a minuet if we wanted to! I'll make the decisions regarding Master's officers. You just do as you're told!"

"Bite me…" Carver scoffed under his breath. Anaxagoras turned and gave him a sharp look, but Cypress had begun to clear her throat, indicating that it was time for both of them to switch their attention to her.

"If both of you don't stop chattering like a horde of idle gulls," Cypress began, "I'll be forced to cut out both of your tongues…the two of you have been insufferable these last fifty-two years! Regardless…I want you all to know that failing to rise in the ranks of the tournament will end badly for all of you. Now Carver, if you'd be so kind as to explain the dynamics of the tournament to my lieutenants."

"As you wish," Carver nodded, turning to the other fighters, "The five of us will register as one team. Unfortunately for us, until the third round of the tournament, we'll have to work as a team.

"What do you mean?" Meno inquired, "You mean that there are separate stages to complete in the tournament?"

"The tournament is broken into three separate rounds," Carver explained, looking to her, "In round one, the registered team breaks up into groups of three and the fights are three on three. In round two, the winning team moves on, but has to divide into groups of two for two on two fights. But in round three, there are no more team fights, and the registered teams dissolve and the fights are one on one. There are no rules, no restrictions, and no limit to what you can do to your opponent." Carver concluded darkly and with a twisted smile.

"Simple enough," Cypress nodded, "As I have said, one of you must win the tournament. I trust that you can accomplish that."

"Run circles around these boys," Meno smiled, looking to Carver and the triplets, "Sounds like a nice vacation for me."

"Not likely Meno," Anaxagoras replied, rolling his eyes.

"Enough," Cypress sighed, "We depart immediately. Anaximander…I wish you well during my absence in New atmosia."

"Thank you master," Anaximander replied, bowing slightly.

"Oh and Carver," Cypress stated, smiling slightly, "You might want to re-consider your numbers for the team during the tournament entry."

"I'm sorry Master Cypress?" Carver asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You're so very slow," Cypress began with a slight smile, "You've been excluding the most prime fighter of all of you lot in your entire speech."

"I'm sorry master?" Carver replied, sounding all too confused, "But I don't follow."

"Me," Cypress stated arrogantly, "Of course…"

* * *

"We made it!" Piper chirped with happiness, being the first to scurry off of the opened hatch of the transport ship.

"Maybe we can ever get new rides while we're here!" Aerrow added, looking into the perpetual dark sky above Lumina City.

"I've never been so happy to see neon lights before," Ravess laughed slightly, looking into the ever so bright streets of the city of night.

"Come on!" Nova smiled, rushing to the head of the group and gesturing them to follow her, "We shouldn't waste any time! Let's find the others and maybe get a stiff drink while we're at it!" She gestured as the small group walked through the bustling shipyard.

"There they are!" A familiar voice shouted, as a large figure rushed towards them from across the way.

"Junko!" Aerrow exclaimed, as he, Piper, and Radarr ran towards the wallop.

"I missed you guys so much!" Junko exclaimed, scooping up Aerrow and the others in his arms.

"We…missed…you…too!" Radarr sputtered, being choked by Junko's large arms in the embrace.

"You have no idea how happy we are to see you!" Piper exclaimed as Junko gently placed her down on to the ground.

"Anyway!" Junko then exclaimed, thrilled at the prospect of them being there, "I can't believe you made it off New Atmosia! Cypress has that place under major security."

"No kidding," Ace replied flatly, looking down at the ground.

"Anyway," Junko nodded, "Who's your new friend?" He gestured towards Sora and Matteo, who were walking up to the group side by side.

"Junko," Cyclonis sighed with a slight laugh, "You know Matt…he leads the resistance."

"Of course I know Matt," Junko replied with a laugh as he rolled his eyes, "I was talking about you." He smiled, turning to Sora.

"You mean you don't…" Ravess began, with a little concern, "You don't recognize her?"

"It's okay Ravess," Sora replied with a weak smile, "Junko…it's me Sora…"

"Oh…" He replied, slightly shocked, "Well you look…older…in a good way though! It's just so different…"

"It's been a tough ride for all of us," Nova stated, looking down at the ground, "Anyway where are the others?"

"Back at the resistance headquarters," Junko stated with a slight smile, "In the central district of the city. But…a few people…they're still missing…"

"Like who?" Aerrow inquired.

"Finn and Stork," Junko stated sadly as he lead them out of the docks and into the loading bay of the shipyards, "Not to mention we don't really know where Cloud is either…plus there are a couple twilight knights missing too!"

"So you've yet to find Advent?" Ravess sighed. Junko nodded in affirmation and she let out a slight sigh of frustration, "How could she just go into hiding during a time like this?"

"Advent works in mysterious ways," Nova shrugged, not reading into the situation any further.

"I'm sure she has some plan worked up in that ever-turning brain of hers," Ace began, rolling his eyes.

"And truth be told," Aida chirped, leaping out from behind a nearby cargo truck, "It may have something to do with the Red Palace tournament!"

"Aida!" Cyclonis and Piper exclaimed, rushing over to give the pink-haired twin a hug.

"What are you doing here?" Nova asked, "I mean don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see you, but isn't it a bit dangerous for so many of us to be out at once?"

"Uh hello," Aida smiled, gesturing to the environment around him, "It's Lumina City. One of the last neutral terras in all of Atmos. If Cypress or any of her goons come here, they'll have to agree to an armistice first."

"Anyway!" Junko exclaimed, "We should hurry up and head to the headquarters! Everybody's gonna be so thrilled to see you guys!" He stated, as the group made their way out into the bright halogen-lit streets of Lumina. It was cold, and there was a light snow falling above their heads. Then again, they couldn't remember a day since they had arrived in this new future when it didn't snow, even if it was just a light flurry.

"It'll be nice to get out of the cold," Cyclonis stated somberly, thinking back to their run-down hideout back in New Atmosia, "Even if it is only for a little bit."

"Aida," Aerrow began, turning to Ace's twin, "What were you talking about, the tournament, I mean."

"Yeah," Aida began nervously, scratching the back of his head, "Well the Red Palace Tournament is in a few days, and word on the fighting circuit is that Cypress and all of her higher ups have entered. And…so has the resistance…"

"Are you all insane!" Matteo exclaimed, "Carver has been the champion for the past fifty-two years! Not to mention like the rest of those bastards that Cypress commands, he's immortal! Who entered us as a team in the tournament?"

"Cresselia herself," Aida replied dismally, "But she's got her reasons. The winner of the tournament not only gets the title and more gold then they can carry, but they're made an officially officer in Cypress' guard. Having a guard's security pass would grant the resistance access to anywhere from the prisons and the slave pens to the crystal vaults."

"Something's not right here," Ace interrupted, before Aida could say anything else. He locked eyes with Aerrow for a moment, and the looks on their faces indicated that both men were probably thinking the same thing.

"How so?" Cyclonis then asked, turning to him.

"Never mind," Ace replied casually, "I'll explain when we reach headquarters."

"Uh…guys…" Sora then commanded, as everyone shifted their attention to her, "We've got company." She stated, as a sizable black carrier began to float down into the middle of the street, before the group. The carrier planted itself on the ground and they listened as the hatch hissed and fell open. Just as soon as it had done so, Cypress and her lieutenants (including Carver and Cyrus) began to descend the ramp and on to the streets of Lumina City.

"Well!" Cypress chimed cheerfully, "If it isn't my favorite little rebel refugees! I must say that I'll miss you on New Atmosia now that you won't be there causing trouble."

"Leave us be Cypress," Aerrow growled, his hands clenched into fists, and ready to fight, "You don't wanna fight us!"

"Not here of course," Cypress replied with a playful, but wicked smile, "I mean out here in the middle of the street? Like common thugs! Please Aerrow, I have more decorum then that!"

"Shut up Cypress!" Cyclonis growled, "And get out of our way!"

"How dare you speak to her royal highness in such a way," Anaxagoras growled, unsheathing his blade, "I should cut out your tongue you impotent wench!"

"Come now Anaxagoras," Cypress smiled, walking casually towards the group, "On the neutral terra city of Lumina, we are all equals. My impertinent niece may speak to me however she likes." Cypress smiled, placing a hand on Cyclonis' face. She immediately swatted her away, but Cypress didn't seem to be phased by it, "But I digress…I will fight you and your pathetic twilight knights Aerrow, but in the arena…where the whole world can watch again as the Storm Hawks, and the rest of you for that matter, fail in protecting Atmos once again." She stated wickedly, turning away from the group, and heading down the street as her carrier took off into the air.

"Oh and Nova," Meno called, turning around to face the group, "I do hope to face you personally in the arena…your head will make a nice trophy in my manor, and you _significant other_ will make a nice addition to my _collection_! She concluded, turning away from them and laughing hysterically as she followed after her master.

"I can't wait for this fucking tournament!" Nova shouted as Junko and Ace restrained the vicious valkyrie, "I'm going to rip that skank's head off, tie it to a string, and play tetherball with it! Do you hear me MENO! TETHERBALL!"

"Calm down Nova," Ravess began, placing her hands on Nova's shoulder, "Breathe in…breathe out…"

"I'm calm…" Nova growled as Ace and Junko loosened their grip on her, "I am calm…"

"I'll admit," Piper began, "Now that I've seen them here, it does make things a lot more suspicious…"

"You don't think," Sora gulped, as the group headed in the opposite direction as Cypress and her lackeys, "That Cypress plans on killing us in the tournament!"

"That's low," Matteo growled, "Even for someone like her."

"Well there are no rules," Aida added, looking concerned now that their enemy was at large in the city, "So it's a possibility…I guess that means that we'll just have to win the fights then."

"Easier said then done…" Ace replied with a long and deep sigh.

* * *

"This is the resistance headquarters!" Aerrow exclaimed, as they walked towards the grand marble building in the center of the central district. A large silver and white banner, bearing the symbol of the twilight knights was hanging out front of the building, waving gently in the light wind.

"Talk about an improvement from the last one," Piper began as they walked up the large marble staircase and into the building.

"Wait…" Nova began, looking around curiously, "I know this place! This is the consulate building! This was where the peace conference was!"

"That's right," Aida nodded with a slight smile, as they walked into the gilded foyer of the consulate building (and the headquarters), "After Cypress took over Atmos, it was hardly appropriate to keep this place open as the Atmosian consulate, so the resistance took it as our headquarters. That is, with our own modifications."

"I can see that," Cyclonis replied. It was true that the former consulate building was still impressive, but it did look like it had been gutted to accommodate that of the resistance. They then walked down the large staircase from the foyer into what used to be the ballroom. Now, what was once filled with chandeliers, tapestries, and golden walls, was now stripped down, filled with communication boards, radar equipment, and monitors and machines of every shape and size. In the center of the room was a large rectangular table, upon the top of which was the map of Atmos. Walking to the center of the room, and toward the table, Aerrow noticed that all of the terras that Cypress had conquered were crossed off with a large red 'X'

"My word!" The voice of Doctor Constantine chimed, "You are all alive! I was beginning to doubt it was so!"

"They're here! They're here!" Aru chimed, gliding over to the arriving group, with as much flighty spring in her step as ever, "Oh how fortuitous that you haven't been maimed or garroted, and are still in a living condition!"

"Uh…" Ace replied, raising an eyebrow, "Thanks…it's good to see you too."

"It is true!" Starling then shouted, running across the room, "Ever since the communications break…I've just been so worried…"

"Cresselia will be thrilled to hear that you're all safe," Doctor Constantine smiled, placing her hand on Aerrow's shoulder, and then moving to hug Cyclonis.

"WHAT!" A voice then shouted from deeper within the room, "What do you mean they're back! Why didn't anyone tell me!"

"They just got here a second ago," Innes squeaked in a mousey voice, "Calm down-"

"Don't tell me to be calm Innes!" Snipe shouted, pushing beside the small and lanky pilot and rushing towards the group.

"Snipe!" Nova shouted, leaping towards him, and almost knocking the brute to the ground, "I missed you more than I missed beer!"

"Would you two take it outside," Aida groaned, rolling his eyes at them.

"Is that Matteo!" Zelkovitz exclaimed, pushing through the other knights and resistance members standing before the group.

"Mother…" Matteo grumbled, as Zelkovitz rushed towards him and wrapped her arms around him, "Enough already…"

"Sorry," Zelkovitz replied, letting go of her son, "It's just that I thought you were gone…and you look…you look so much like Nikolai…" She began, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Mom…" Matteo replied, looking to his mother sadly.

"Listen," Starling began, turning to the newly arrived group, "I hate to break it up, but we can catch up later! We've got a lot of work to do before the Red Palace tournament on Sunday!"


	38. Chapter 5: The Velodrome

Chapter V.

The Velodrome

Without any hesitation, the resistance had begun training and preparing for the upcoming tournament. Their newly found headquarters allowed them to train without any _interruptions _from Cypress, which was much needed, especially given that the opening ceremony of the Tournament was only days away. The arena in the center of Lumina city loomed over the streets, being a constant reminder of what they had to fight for.

"I can't believe the tournament is only the day after tomorrow," Aerrow began, walking with Piper and Cyclonis down the streets of the crowded and neon-lit city.

"You know it isn't going to be a fair fight," Cyclonis sighed, looking up towards the stadium, "Cypress has every crystal in Atmos."

"And you can bet her team is going to use them!" Piper stated angrily, turning to the stadium as well.

"We don't need crystals to win!" Aerrow stated confidently, "We're all great fighters on our own! Besides, the rest of the teams won't have any crystals either. We'll be fine."

"You sure are confident in us Aerrow," Cyclonis stated, a little uneasily, "But I don't think confidence is going to win us this one."

"You're being too negative," Aerrow stated, turning to her, "The way I see it is, Cypress has yet to beat us now, what chance does she have in the tournament?"

"True," Piper sighed, "But Cyclonis does have a point." She stated, just as one of the resistance's unmonitored communicators rang at Piper's side, "Hello…" Piper began.

"Piper," Starling's voice hissed through the communicator, "Are Aerrow and Cyclonis with you? You should be heading back to the headquarters now for the…ceremony…" Starling stated, sounding a little sad towards the end.

"No problem Starling," Piper replied, just before closing the communicator, "We'll be there soon." She sighed, placing the communicator back at her side, "We should get back to central…"

"Right," Aerrow nodded, smiling weakly, as they turned away from the stadium. However, before moving too far from the stadium, a sound emitted from within it that Aerrow could not resist moving towards, "Did…did you hear that!"

"Yeah," Cyclonis nodded noting the sounds of rides whipping by, the sounds of their engines echoing off of the walls of the arena, not thinking anything of it, "When this place isn't being used during the only month it takes for the tournament, it's a velodrome…all kinds of races go on here. I wouldn't be surprised if the racers were trying to get in as much test driving and work on their rides as they can before the tournament on Sunday."

"They have rides in there!" Aerrow exclaimed, not having flown in a little over two years, "I have to get inside!"

"HA!" Cyclonis laughed, placing her hand on Aerrow's shoulder, "They're not _sky_ rides…they're just bikes…Cypress doesn't allow skimmers in Atmos anymore…remember?"

"Oh…" Aerrow replied, a little downheartedly. She looked to him, and let out a slightly frustrated sigh, noting his disappointment.

"But…" She began, "Maybe we could check it out anyway…" Aerrow perked up a bit as the pair headed towards the stadium, "Are you coming Piper?"

"No," Piper replied with a slight smile, "I'm going back to central to change…but you two go ahead…" Without a word, the two then headed up the large staircase to the Lumina arena. There were two large and burly looking men standing in front of the gate. Cyclonis and Aerrow went to walk past them casually, however, the two men violently pushed them back.

"Yoos two got clearances!" One of the men demanded, looking down at them angrily. Aerrow and Cyclonis looked to one another and shrugged.

"No clearance," The other man stated, "No admittance! Ain't nobody gettin' in till tournament registration tomorra!"

"We just want to watch the racers practice," Aerrow requested politely.

"Sorry pipsqueak," One of the bouncers scoffed, pushing him aside, "But like my pal here said, ain't nobody gettin' in!"

"Lemme handle this," Cyclonis began with a smug smile across her face, "What do you two say to making a little wager?" She asked deviously.

"What kinda wager little lady?" One of the brutes asked lecherously, looking down at Cyclonis like he was a hungry dog and she was a prime cut of meat.

"A drag race…" She replied flatly, "From here to the end of the plaza strip. I bet I can beat _both_ of you two in a race, and if I win…you'll let both of us in."

"And what if we win," One of the bouncers asked, "What do we get?"

"Whatever you want," Cyclonis replied smugly. The two bouncers exchanged cocky looks and nodded in agreement.

"Cyclonis are you crazy!" Aerrow exclaimed, as the two brutes radioed the mechanics inside to bring them three rides, "Let me do this, after all, I am a sky knight and-"

"Just because you're a sky knight," Cyclonis began, a little overconfidently, "Doesn't automatically make you a racer Aerrow." She concluded, rolling her eyes.

"But have you ever raced before?" Aerrow asked, doubting her.

"Please," Cyclonis replied, laughing slightly, "I might not look like it, but if there's one thing I can do…it's race!" She stated as three mechanics drove up beside her and the brutes. Aerrow looked down at the rides and indeed noticed that they were stripped of their wings.

"This'll be too easy," One of the bouncers laughed, climbing on to one of the rides (which could barely support him).

"Yeah!" The other laughed, climbing on to a ride as well, "Everyone knows that chicks can't race!"

_Too easy,_ Cyclonis thought as she drove up to the starting line she had designated.

"On your mark," Aerrow began nervously, standing on the makeshift track before the racers, "Get set," He called, as they revved their engines, "GO!"

With that, the racers took off with a start, all except for Cyclonis. Her ride coughed and sputtered as the two brutes (even vastly weighing down their rides) took off down the plaza strip before her. She clenched her teeth as she slammed down on the throttle, but the ride still refused to accelerate.

_Damn it!_ She thought, _They must have told the mechanics to give me a crappy ride!_

"I knew this wasn't going to end well," Aerrow began, rolling his eyes. However, Cyclonis was bright, and she saw an opportunity before her. Down the plaza strip was a long fountain that covered the entire length of the strip itself. She quickly noted that the walls of the fountain were high, and curved, much like a ramp.

_Fine!_ She thought, steering towards the curved walls of the fountain, _They want to play dirty…I'll play dirty!_

"What is she doing?" Aerrow thought aloud as he watched Cyclonis drive up the side of the fountain, her ride shooting into the air. It had thrust her far enough to reach the back tires of two brutes' rides, but not to pass them, however, she didn't want to pass them. She slammed her front wheel into the back end of the racer closest too her, causing him to loose control of his ride.

"WHAT THE HELL!" He shouted as the ride fell to its side violently, and went skidding across the ground. His fallen ride collided directly with the other brutes, causing him to loose control of his vehicle as well, thus crashing into a nearby light post.

"YES!" Cyclonis cheered, as she cruised down the strip and past the designated finish line and screeching to a halt. She parked her ride and walked over to the two brutes, tangles in a crashed pile of skimmers on the strip, "Your security clearance…gimme…" She stated arrogantly and playfully, holding her hand out before her. Disdainfully, one of the brutes handed her one of his security passes, "Come Aerrow…Let's go!"

"That…was pretty cool," Aerrow stated casually as the pair walked into the arena.

"Don't act like you weren't impressed," Cyclonis began, flipping her hair back out of her face.

"Impressive," A voice then stated from behind the pair once they entered the stadium. They turned to note that it was none other than Cypress' favorite little lackey, Meno, "I expected great things from you Cyclonis…especially being the niece of my beloved master…but I never expected you to be an aspiring racer!"

"Screw off Meno," Cyclonis growled, "What are you doing here anyway!"

"I drive for the imperial racing team," Meno smiled deviously, "But I'm not here to gloat…just here to get some work done on my ride…which…still flies by the way…before the tournament begins. You know…you two should see if you can register for the Lumina City Racing Championship…it only takes place a few months after the tournament, that is, of you even live through the tournament! HA!" Meno laughed, walking away from the pair, "I hear a mechanic in garage A is looking for some new racers…he's a real amateur though, so you two would fit right in!" She laughed, just before leaving their sight.

"You know…" Aerrow began, shaking his head, "The more I run into her, the more I learn to really hate that chick…"

"You and me both," Cyclonis began, rolling her eyes at Meno, "But let's check out this garage A mechanic anyway…it may be worth investigating." Aerrow nodded and the pair headed deeper into the complex, walking past many of the garages, watching mechanics tune up their racers' rides before they were forced to lock up for the tournament. They walked almost through the entire bay before reaching a large room with a blue letter 'A' painted overhead.

"Hello?" Cyclonis called, ducking into the garage before Aerrow (who was immediately distracted by one of the other mechanic's rides in the garage opposite, so he stopped to take a look), "Is anyone in here? Apparently someone here is looking for a race driver?"

"No," A young man's voice replied haughtily from behind a large black curtain, "I'm not! And if it was that slime ball Meno who sent you then you can especially forget it!" Cyclonis watched the young man's silhouette curiously and with fascination from behind the curtain. She didn't know why but she was truly enthralled by this boy and wanted to pull back the curtain to get a good look at him.

"Are you sure that you're not interested?" Cyclonis asked flirtatiously as she leaned casually against a nearby wall.

"No," The boy scoffed, "Now if you wouldn't mind getting out of here! I've got a lot to do before the tournament closes down my shop tomorrow and I don't want to waste any time talking to you!"

"Sorry!" Cyclonis scoffed, rolling her eyes, "I'm sorry I even bothered!"

"Look chickey," The boy replied, "Not to be rude, I mean, you're race against those bouncers was pretty impressive…it's just I'm not looking for any new drivers right now…and I have a lot on my plate."

"Sorry Cyclonis," Aerrow began, poking his head into garage A, "I was just checking out the thermo propulsion system on-" Aerrow then suddenly stopped, looking around the room curiously and somewhat frantically.

"What is it?" Cyclonis asked turning to him.

"Is that mechanic here?" Aerrow demanded quickly.

"Oh great," The boy replied from behind the curtain, looking up from his project, "There's another one of you!"

"Finn!" Aerrow exclaimed.

"Wait a minuet…" The boy behind the curtain then thought, pulling back the barrier, "Oh my god! Aerrow! It is you!" Finn exclaimed rushing out from behind the curtain, looking upon them, "But…how did you know it was-"

"Long story," Aerrow replied, laughing slightly, "I just knew you weren't on Atmosia!"

"And Cyclonis," Finn exclaimed, turning to her. He was nervous, and slightly awkward, as he always was, not to mention he now had to make up for not recognizing her voice, and being rude to her, "I-it's good to…to see you."

"You too," Cyclonis nodded, with a light smile.

"Oh wait," Finn exclaimed, scrambling back to reality for a moment, "I almost forgot…STORK! GET UP HERE!" He shouted, running back behind the curtain.

"This had better be good Finn…" They heard Stork's voice growl as they heard footsteps climbing up a metal staircase.

"Trust me!" Finn laughed, "It is!"

"Listen Finn!" Stork growled, the pale green merb emerging from behind the curtain as well, "We've got a lot to do on that _secret project_ before the tour-" He continued, until stopping to look at Aerrow and Cyclonis, "It's…you…how…where!" Stork clamored.

"Who cares about us!" Cyclonis began, "Finn, Stork, how did you two get here?"

"We woke up here in Lumina City after the crash," Finn stated, gesturing Aerrow and Cyclonis to follow him and Stork behind the curtain.

"It didn't take us long to figure out that Cypress had completely taken over," Stork stated nervously (reverting back to his old, less-confident self) as he looked over his shoulders, closing the curtain behind him, "Not to mention that all the sky rides in Atmos are gone! Finn and I have been working to re-build Jean's design for the Sky shark." Stork stated as Aerrow and Cyclonis noted the large (and completely un-flyable) machine sitting on a repair dock.

"Without the right engine components though," Finn stated sadly, "It's just another hunk of crap…Stork and I have been trying to get this thing in flying condition before the tournament."

"My only fear is that someone from the Cypress' imperial racing team will find it!" Stork exclaimed, clinging to the machine, "They already took my precious Condor! I won't let them take anything else!"

"They didn't destroy the Condor?" Aerrow asked curiously, "I mean…I'm happy, but why would they keep it around."

"It's on display as one of Cypress' _trophies_," Stork explained, disdainfully, as he turned back to his current project, "She has it hanging in her palace and uses it to gloat about how she defeated both the Storm hawks and the twilight knights."

"My god…" Cyclonis scoffed, rolling her eyes, "The ego on that woman…now I get why you guys hated me so much when I ruled Cyclonia…"

"Anyway we're both glad to see you safe!" Aerrow began, turning to Finn, "But how have you stayed under the radar for so long?"

"We've managed to keep out of Meno's sight just by staying behind the curtain here at the garage," Finn stated, "But she's creepy and hangs out around here way too much for comfort! I think she flirts with me."

"She definitely does," Stork replied with a slight gag as he rolled his eyes.

"And with her macking on me all the time," Finn stated, repulsed by the notion, "And hanging around our garage, it's only a matter of time before we're found out!"

"Then we need to get this to the resistance headquarters," Aerrow stated, placing his hand on the damaged surface of the sky shark.

"So then it's true!" Finn exclaimed, "The Twilight Knights and the resistance are together?"

"Absolutely," Cyclonis nodded, "And now that we've found you, all we're missing is Cloud."

"How's everybody else then?" Finn asked quietly.

"Piper and Junko are fine," Aerrow nodded, "And Sora…well…Sora's changed…you'll just have to see for yourself."

"We should get going anyway," Cyclonis stated nudging Aerrow, "The _ceremony_ is about to start and Matteo would be upset if we were late."

"Right," Aerrow nodded, "You should get your stuff and come with us. You've no idea how good it would be for the others to see you on a day like today."

"Uhm," Stork began, looking from Aerrow to the partially dismembered vehicle, "In case you haven't noticed, we can't just _move _this thing!"

"Then we'll call in a team from the resistance later tonight," Cyclonis stated, seizing Stork's arm and rolling her eyes, "Junko and Snipe can have it out of here and safe inside HQ before midnight!" She concluded as the group headed out of the garage and through the corridor to the arena lobby.

"What were you guys talking about though," Finn asked as they walked towards the exit of the arena, "I mean the whole _ceremony_ thing."

"Let's just say you'll need to wear black," Cyclonis stated, stepping outside.

* * *

**[Message from KC]:** Hello! I'm back! Sorry this chapter isn't as long as I thought it'd be, but oh well! Anyway, yes in case you are wondering, I am adding another event to the book, the Lumina City Racing Championship! It won't be nearly as long as the tourney though. Anyway, so I'm sorry if I don't immediately respond to your reviews or even comments on deviantArt, it's been thunderstorming like crazy for the past two days where I live and my internet connection is kind of crappy atm (actually it's a miracle that I managed to get this uploaded XD) Anyway so I hope you enjoy! Chapter six to come soon, and artwork and such on my deviantart also, so keep your eyes peeled :3


	39. Chapter 6: Cresselia

Chapter VI.

Cresselia

"I can't believe that the resistance was able to pull together so many resources like this," Finn stated, some hours later, standing within the headquarters. He pulled on a worn, but clean black suit jacket as he stood beside some of the other men from the resistance, who were also appearing to dress up for some occasion.

"As much as I dislike the guy," Ace then stated, feebly attempting to straighten a tie, "We have Matteo to thank for this…that and the _real _leader of the resistance…"

"Does anyone even know what she looks like?" Aerrow asked, turning to the others.

"Not a clue," Aida sighed, fastening his cufflinks.

"Sounds like someone we know," Aerrow laughed jokingly. The others laughed as well, but then stopped, looking to one another curiously.

"You don't think…" Ace then began, breaking the silence, "That Cresselia…is Advent?"

"NAH!" The group then laughed, thinking about the absurdity of the prospect.

"There's no way she could be Advent!" Aida laughed, "Someone would catch on!"

"It is weird that no one has seen her though," Ace then stated, "I mean…that no one has seen her face…it's just suspicious to me."

"Stranger things have happened," Aerrow then sighed.

"Especially to us," Stork groaned, smoothing down his hair in a nearby mirror, "Not to mention…in the past year."

"Are you boy's ready yet?" Sora asked, with a weak smile as she stuck her head into the room.

"Yeah," Aerrow replied with a slight smile, "We'll be ready soon." Sora smiled at them as she headed out of the room.

"How did it happen?" Finn asked, once Sora was out of the room. Aerrow turned and looked to him curiously, as though he didn't understand the question.

"What do you mean?" Aerrow inquired, raising an eyebrow. Finn sighed, and nodded towards the doorway where Sora was standing.

"I mean," Finn then stated, "Sora…she's so much…older…"

"We're not really sure what happened," Ace stated somberly, fighting a loosing battle with the tie that refused to straighten around his neck, "Oh screw it…" He grumbled, giving up with the garment.

"We really should get going," Aida stated, looking up at the clock, "That is if we want to be there in time to hear Matteo read the Eulogy."

"How nice," Stork then began, as the men moved to exit the room, "The same day we join the resistance, we have to go to a funeral."

"It's not exactly my idea of a welcoming party," Finn sighed, as they headed into the old ballroom of the headquarters, where everyone was waiting, dressed in black.

"There you all are," Starling began with a sigh of relief as she headed over towards the group, "Nova's already throwing a fit because the tournament is tomorrow, so the last thing we need is for you to be late to the ceremony."

"We're here now aren't we?" Aida replied, rolling his eyes slightly.

"Besides," Ace added, "We need this funeral, it's two years of closure people like Zelkovitz have been needing. Especially with the tournament tomorrow, the last thing we need to be doing is mourning."

"The transport's going to leave soon!" Nova then shouted at the front of the quietly chattering crowd, "So we'd better get going before Cypress shuts down our ride to terra Larkenus!" The group the quietly began to head out of the ballroom and into the foyer of the headquarters, and through there, out into the streets of Lumina City, where a cargo transport was sitting, waiting to take the procession to the terra.

"God look at you," Starling laughed quietly, looking over towards Ace, who looked down at his attire curiously, "You're a mess."

"What's wrong?" He asked, slightly offended, as she rolled her eyes.

"First of all, tuck in your shirt," She laughed, as he rolled his eyes and did so, "Not to mention your hair looks like it hasn't been combed in ages."

"That's because it hasn't," Ace replied, as she began straightening out his hair. She then removed his pocket square, folded it properly, and placed it gently back in the pocket of his suit jacket. Lastly, she straightened the tie, after doing so, he gave her a contemptuous look, "That's not fair…"

"Please Anteres," Starling replied, smoothing down the collar of his jacket, "It's not the first time a woman would know how to do these things over a man."

"You just called me Anteres…" Ace stated, as Starling looked up at him, the pair standing suspiciously close.

"That's your name…" Starling replied flatly, "Right?"

"Yes…" Ace replied, "It's just…"

"Does it bother you?" Starling replied, "That I called you by your name?"

"No," Ace replied, shaking his head, "It doesn't bother me at all actually."

"Are you two coming or not?" Snipe shouted (probably because Nova was too tired of doing so) as everyone else was already on board the transport.

"Sorry!" Ace shouted, as he and Starling headed towards the transport. They climbed on board and the hatch sealed shut behind them as the transport took off into the sky.

"The resistance leader is going to be at the service today," Nova then stated once the transport was in the air, "Seeing as how any of us have yet to meet her…I can't really tell you what to expect."

* * *

About an hour later, the transport slowed down over a hazy and dreary terra. The vehicle hovered over the ground for a few moments before it touched down on the damp landing pad on terra lakenus. The hatch opened and one by one, the darkly dressed knights filed out of the transport and followed Nova into the graveyard. She stopped before a woman in a long black robe that covered almost every inch of her body. She wore a large black sunhat on her head with a thick veil over her face, obscuring the image of her visage to the world. The woman was standing before an open grave, where a silver casket was sitting beside it, waiting to be lowered into the ground. Behind the casket was a large stone obelisk with several names carved into the surface.

"I'm sorry that the service has to be cut short," The veiled woman stated somberly, "But as you all know…we aren't safe here…" she stated, turning to the casket and placing a while calla lily on the surface.

Needless to say, the service was just as depressing and droll as every funeral service ever was. Eulogies were delivered for those lost and the epitaphs read. Requiems were sung, and morale dropped even lower than usual but at least two year wounds could now be allowed to heal especially for those like Zelkovitz and Matteo who were able to say goodbye to their husband and father for the last time. The service was short, just as the veiled woman had promised. Very few people were permitted to speak, given the time allotted, which left those who also had something to say feeling ignored and frustrated.

"I will let you all say your goodbyes," The veiled woman stated, "And give your regards to the spirits of the departed for one last time, but I would like for you to board the transport soon after." She stated, stepping out of the crowd. Many of the group crowded around the monument, praying to whoever would listen, and saying their goodbyes. However, Ace decided that it wasn't an appropriate time for mourning, and he headed off into a remote part of the graveyard.

"What do you think you're doing?" The haughty voice of a young girl inquired from behind him. Ace knew the voice, but he hadn't heard it for some time. He turned around to see the ghostly image of Farrah sitting on a nearby headstone. She appeared quite different this time however. Her once clean blue gown and pale visage were stained with a thick crimson substance. She kicked her feet playfully back and fourth as she sat upon the cold stone, awaiting his answer, "You won't find anyone you care about out here…maybe some people who you put here…but certainly no one you care about."

"It's none of your business Farrah…" Ace replied coldly, "Besides I am in no mood to deal with the likes of you…I'm in a vile temper…"

"Fine for you," Farrah smiled, "But I won't leave…I never will, or have you forgotten about our agreement?"

"What are _you _doing here anyway," Ace replied coldly, looking over to the ghostly image of the girl, "Where have you been these past two years? Haunting someone else I suppose?" He stated tauntingly, crossing his arms

"Don't be silly," Farrah replied playfully, "My haunts are special and reserved only for you! I've been floating around in that angst-ridden little head of yours…I think it would have added insult to injury if I decided to torment you during your time in prison."

"You're adding insult to injury no matter when you choose to torment me," Ace stated nastily, looking to the ghostly girl, "And you should know that no matter how much you haunt me…I refuse to enact your wishes. I'll do what was asked of me by the Gods, but you hold no dominion over me."

"I beg to differ," Farrah replied darkly, smiling wickedly, "Your mind is in a bitter ruin Anteres, and my presence will only shatter the confines of your sanity. I've already been making a misery of you mind as is. The past two years of your doubts, your longing, your fear, and your hate sweltering in your mind has only been magnified by me, fanning the flames. Ignore my requests if you wish, or descend deeper into madness…your choice."

"I doubt a ghost can alter my own mind," Ace stated, walking away from the ghostly child, "And as you should know, when it concerns your aunt or even your mother, you know I'm not looking for a fight."

"But I'm afraid that a fight is looking for you," Farrah smiled darkly.

"Whatever do you mean?" He inquired, turning around to face her. She said nothing. She merely giggled, as little girls do as her image faded within the mist of the terra, "Farrah!" He called, looking around the graveyard.

"One more thing," Farrah stated, appearing before him once again out of thin air, sitting playfully on another tombstone, "The answer to the one question that has been lingering in your mind for some time now…I know the answer…and consciously you also know that I know…I will tell you, however only when you are ready to see things my way Uncle…I shall be seeing you soon, and please, when you do come around, please don't be afraid to call." She stated with a slight giggle before disappearing.

"Damn that girl," Ace hissed, once she disappeared, "She's her mother's daughter all right…but how…how could she possibly know? Or maybe…she doesn't know…"

"Anteres?" Starling asked, stepping towards him from within the mist, "Who are you talking to?"

"Uhm…" He began, turning around to face her nervously, "No one…I was talking to myself."

"It didn't sound that way," Starling replied, a little uneasily, looking to him with concern, "You sounded angry…"

"That depends," Ace replied, giving her a look, "How much did you hear?"

"Not much at all," Starling replied, shaking her head, "But your tone-"

"What are you doing out here anyway?" he snapped, interrupting her.

"What are you!" Starling replied, feeling defensive. He had to admit, he had no way to respond.

"Sorry," He responded, looking down at the ground, "I just…needed to get away from all the gloom…"

"I understand," Starling replied with a slight sigh and a smile, "Well the transport is leaving and I noticed that you…you weren't back with the others so…I decided to come and…and look for you."

"Why?" Ace responded immediately. Starling didn't know what to say. She panicked slightly, avoiding eye contact with him.

"I…didn't want you to get left behind," She replied with a nervous laugh and a shrug. He looked to her curiously.

"But why?" He asked once again, more out of curiosity than anything. He knew the answer, but really, he just wanted to hear it from her.

"That's a foolish question," Starling began, "Don't you-" She continued, before being interrupted by Ace's mouth being pressed against hers. He quickly pulled away and the look on her face said everything that he needed to hear. She then proceeded to slap him across the face.

"I'm not sure I deserved that…" Ace began, placing his hand against the stinging red mark across his face.

"You're a jerk," Starling responded with a slight smile, "And if that's what you wanted, for future reference you should ask." She added, walking back to the transport. ace watched her walk away and let out a slight laugh as she did so. He followed after her through the graveyard to where the transport was sitting, waiting for the pair.

"Late again I see," Ravess stated, rolling her eyes as the two climbed on board.

"Shove it Ravess," Starling replied, rolling her eyes back at her.

"Oh my God Dark Ace," Piper began, noticing the large red mark across his face, "What happened to you?" Ace gave Starling a playful look.

"I ran into a door," He stated with a slight smile as Starling began to laugh. The others looked to one another with confusion, but shrugged as they assumed it was some inside joke between the two of them.

"What about her?" Aerrow asked Nova as the transport hatch began to shut, the veiled woman, staying behind on Terra Larkenus.

"Cresselia will find her own way back," Nova began as the hatch shut, "Just as she found her own way here…you shouldn't worry about her."

"Or should we?" Aerrow asked himself quietly. He didn't know why, but something didn't sit right with him when it concerned the mysterious woman. He hadn't even seen her face, or even heard her speak much, but he knew something was off.

The transport then took off into the skies, leaving the shrouded resistance leader behind, watching as the vehicle disappeared into the grey skies that covered the terra. She turned around and headed towards the monument, but before she could reach it, a violent wind began whipping through the graveyard. It kicked up loose dirt and other debris, making it rather hard to see. Once the wind died down, she realized that she was not alone.

"That was a beautiful service Cresselia," Cypress stated, stepping out of the fog, "It's a shame that I couldn't have heard the entire epitaph."

"What do you want?" Cresselia asked calmly and quietly.

"For you to remove your mask," Cypress stated darkly. She took a step towards Cresselia, who did not move. Cypress let out a growl. She then began to walk towards her, and still Cresselia stayed motionless. She walked towards the figure until she was only a few inches away from her face. Cypress could make out a few features from under the black veil. Her icy heart skipped a beat as she threw the back of her hand across Cresselia's face, knocking her to the ground, and knocking the veil off of her face.

"I didn't appreciate that," Cresselia stated, wiping a trickle of blood away from the corner of her mouth as she rose to her feet.

"Impossible!" Cypress exclaimed, looking at the resistance leader's face. It mirrored her own, except slightly younger and with a pair of pale blue eyes. It was the face of her sister's. Advent's.

"You're surprised," Cresselia stated, pulling a thin, silver rapier from the sheathes hanging at her side, "But I am not the Advent that you hunt."

"Then who are you?" Cypress demanded, drawing her own obsidian rapier and pointing it at the strange double of her sister.

"If you hadn't forsaken our kind," Cresselia stated, clashing her sword against her _sister's_, "You might have known the answer to that!"

"Enough games!" Cypress growled, pushing Cresselia's blade away, and swiping at her, "Tell me what trickery is this!"

"Not trickery," Cresselia smiled, giving her a wink. She kicked Cypress down to the ground the moment she was off guard. Cresselia placed her foot on Cypress' chest, establishing her dominance. She then pointed the tip of her blade at her throat and smiled arrogantly.

"No denying…you're my sister," Cypress growled, "Your arrogance is unprecedented."

"I will take that as a compliment," Cresselia smiled.

"Explain yourself," Cypress growled, still pinned by Cresselia.

"As I said," Cresselia responded slyly, "It's not trickery…rather, time travel."

* * *

**[Message from KC]:** OOOOH MYYYY GOOOOD! I am so sorry it took me so long to update guys! Kind of a crappy chapter I know, but oh well. I know I said I would update frequently but life happened to slap me in the face (I quit my job, had to apply for jobs, got a new job, had to start training for said job, brother got engaged, starting to plan wedding…it's just so UGH worthy -_-) anyway! So a quick little chapter update.

To answer some questions which I am sure are there, Yes Cresselia and Advent are the same person, as I am sure some of you have assumed. Yes, Farrah is a ghost and she is haunting Ace, he is not hallucinating. Also, it's not that I ship Ace and Starling, it's more that Starling is acting as a place holder for now (don't think to hard on it). Lastly, when Ace said "I ran into a door" that was kind of a tasteless joke on my part. If you don't get it, look it up!

GOOD TO BE BACK AMERICA 8D


	40. Chapter 7: Carver

Chapter VII.

Carver

Regardless of the events prior, the next day had come, and with it, came the beginning and registration for the red palace tournament. The Twilight Knights and those who had newly joined them from the resistance all met out in front of the Lumina Arena. From what it looked like, teams of every race and from every terra were in Lumina City that day.

"Would you look at this turnout!" Aerrow exclaimed, excited and raring for a good fight, "This is going to be one heck of a tournament!"

"let's not loose sight of why we're doing this though," Cyclonis interrupted, somewhat direly, "We're not here to have fun. We're here to win."

"Psh!" Finn scoffed, walking lazily behind the group of guardians, "Look at us! Of course we're gonna win! Our team is made of like, some of the best fighters in Atmos!"

"Still," Piper began, sounding worried, "There are no rules in this tournament, and we're without any crystals-"

"Crystals aren't necessary in winning a fight," Ace snapped, turning around to face her, "I mean that's all you ever talk about! Crystals! We've gotten this far without them haven't we!"

"You seem to forget that a third of the guardian's powers rely on them," Sora replied haughtily, turning her head away from him, "Even scryers need to use one from time to time and consider Piper and myself next to useless in a fight without one."

"Listen-" Ace began, with a sigh, trying to make up for his backlash.

"Be quiet," Sora interrupted, rolling her eyes, "Just be mindful of what you happen to say from now on…" She scoffed, walking a head of the group and towards one of the registration booths in front of the arena.

"What's her problem?" Stork grumbled, watching the teen disdainfully as she walked away from them.

"She can't practice her science," Ace sighed, also watching Sora walk away, "She's spent the past two years here by herself, not to mention she went from ten to sixteen in a matter of seconds…how would you feel?"

"Sora needs to realize that she's not the only one who's had it rough for the past two years though," Aerrow stated sternly, "I'm not saying we need to get over it…but we need to put the past behind us, at least until the tournament is over." he added as they all walked up to the registration booth.

"Nova said we were registered as Team Argent," Cyclonis stated as they approached, "We're the largest starting team in the tournament too."

"I like those odds!" Junko laughed as Cyclonis and Piper wrote down their names in their team's registry.

"Second only to our team of course," Anaxagoras stated, walking up behind the group with two sentries in tow, "I would like to wish you _great guardians _luck on behalf of the Imperial Team however." He stated laughing arrogantly, "You'll need it."

"To beat you?" Ace replied, rolling his eyes, "Not likely…"

"You'd best hold your tongue," Anaxagoras hissed, leaning only inches away from Ace's face, "Meno may want to keep you alive as her _play thing_, but I would have no problem with accidentally slicing your throat during the tournament!"

"I'll take that as a threat," Ace stated, pushing him away. Anaxagoras scoffed, straightening the collar of his jacket and walking away from the group.

"The more that guy comes around," Aerrow sighed, shaking his head, "The more I want to kick him in the face…"

"Try not to let him psych you out," Cyclonis smiled, placing her hand on Ace's shoulder.

"There you all are!" Nova shouted, rushing towards the group from across the crowded courtyard of the arena, "Did you all register yet?"

"Signed and ready to fight!" Piper chimed confidently.

"Good," Nova nodded with a sigh of relief (the burdens of leadership taking a severe toll on her), "Wait! Where is Sora! She shouldn't be alone! This place is crawling with Cypress' thugs! She could get beat up! Or eaten! Or-"

"Nova!" Aerrow began, placing his hands on her shoulders, "Sora registered and she's going to be fine…this is a _neutral_ terra remember?"

"Right," Nova nodded vigorously, "It's just been so…crazy, trying to keep track of all our team members for the tournament and who registered and who didn't and who's going to be teamed up with who for the fights and assessing proper strategies and learning the other teams weaknesses and-"

"Nova!" Everyone in the group shouted at once, realizing that she was speaking so quickly that she was forgetting to breathe.

"Right," Nova nodded, "I am going to go check on our registration status then, now that I know you're all situated then." She sighed, shaking her head, as she walked away.

"Nova seems pretty worked up about this doesn't she?" Junko stated, turning to the others.

"It's kind of a lot to be worked up about Junko," Piper shrugged, turning to him.

"Attention all tournament participants," A voice chimed through the many loudspeakers dispersed throughout the courtyard of the arena, "Please enter the tournament grounds within the arena post registration for tournament briefing please."

"I guess we should get inside then," Aerrow stated, sounding rather excited as the crowds of tournament hopefuls flooded into the arena. The group then nodded as they all filed inside. They headed through the arena lobby, through the corridors and into the seating area of the arena. Their team wasn't hard to miss, seeing as how they took up an entire seating section.

"There's our team!" Finn gestured, as they all walked down the steps and towards the section where team Argent had been waiting.

"I can't believe how many familiar faces are here participating!" Junko exclaimed looking around at the other teams.

"Skyler?" Aerrow exclaimed just after bumping into someone while making his way towards his team. The one-eyed Dol Donnian turned around and gave him a shocked look.

"What are you doing here Storm Hawk?" She inquired, sounding a little angry and concerned.

"I'm here for the tournament," Aerrow stated flatly, "The whole resistance entered, twilight knights and all."

"Then I regard you all as fools," Skyler stated darkly, looking down at the large team before her, "My team and I may be indebted to you Twilight Knights, but Cypress and her team of demons will not hold back. You have much to gain from this tournament true…but you have so much to lose as well."

"Not by much," Aerrow replied, shaking his head defiantly, "Skyler, who is in your team anyway? You have to have a minimum of five people to enter don't you?" He asked. Skyler nodded, and gestured him to look up at the top most row of seats. It was there where he saw Repton, Captain Scabulous, and a few murk raiders and shady looking types (associates of either Skyler or Repton most likely).

"Keep in mind Storm Hawk," Skyler stated, just before leaving Aerrow to join her team, "My team consists of those left behind…we are not noble enough to travel with the likes of you, yet not sinister enough to join Cypress. Unlike you Twilight Knights, we have everything to gain from this venture and _nothing_ to lose…" She stated, just before heading up the staircase.

"You know that isn't true," Aerrow called, just before she was out of earshot (because it was quite loud in the arena). Skyler stopped for a moment, but did not turn to face him, and she continued to head up the stairs. Aerrow let out a sigh as he headed towards his team.

"Was that…" Piper began, looking from Aerrow to the image of Skyler, "Was that who I think it was?"

"Yup," Aerrow nodded with a sigh, "That was Skyler. She's got a team, and from what it sounded like, she's not exactly on our side."

"I can't say I'm surprised," Ace grumbled, crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat as the other teams began to sit down and lowered the sounds of their voices to a dull roar. It was then when a figure stepped out into the center of the arena, and everyone grew silent. It was Cypress. She strode into the center of the ring and walked upon a platform, which elevated itself as so she could look out into the faces of the teams, rather than up at them.

"Good day to you all," Cypress greeted as arrogantly as ever, "And welcome to the venue for this years Red Palace Tournament! Hosted by yours truly of course." The teams and the contenders stayed silent as Cypress continued through he speech, "Tomorrow night, you will all be introduced before all of Atmos in your respective teams during the opening ceremonies. I needn't bore you with your instructions for tomorrow, your team leaders will have your instructions for you…and if you're too stupid to figure it out, you'll wing it!"

"Ugh…" Finn grumbled, looking down at Cypress, "I seriously wish I had my crossbow…I'd shoot her right through the mouth…"

"Shh!" Piper snapped, turning to him.

"Don't tell me to shush!" Finn growled, totally fed up with Piper telling him what to do.

"As you know," Cypress continued on, her eyes casually looking over her team's _competition_, "The tournament is split into three rounds, consisting of three on three, two on two, and one on one fights. I suggest you choose your partners wisely, as everyone registered must fight in all three rounds."

"Everyone!" Stork whimpered, "As in…everyone!"

"Shh!" Piper whispered, "Stork! Don't make a scene!"

"Make a scene!" Stork hissed, "I am _NOT_ a fighter Piper! By any stretch of the imagination! I was told I wouldn't have to fight!"

"We'll discuss it later!" Aerrow snapped, shushing Stork once again.

"As you also all know," Cypress continued, "You stand much to lose in this tournament…The prize for winning is…generous…if I do say so myself. I expect a good fight from all of you. Especially given that there are no rules…You all have much to do yet before the opening ceremonies tomorrow, so you are dismissed. Go home, get a good nights rest before the festivities and the bloodshed begin! You're all going to need it…" She stated a little to joyously, and a little too sinisterly as the crowd cheered.

"I don't like this…" Stork began, as the teams shouted and taunted their neighboring teams, bearing their weapons and making obscene gestures towards one another, "These mongrels look like they could tear us apart!"

"They _look _tough," Junko stated reassuringly.

"Junko's right," Piper nodded, with an arrogant air about her, "Looks can be deceiving-"

"Not to mention they're not even on the same level as us when it comes to strategies," Ace then added, "Physically…I'm sure they're prepared."

"But they don't look clever enough to be ready for some of the things we have up our sleeve," Cyclonis stated with a smirk as their team rose to their feet.

The chattering crowds of teams began bustling out of the arena. The Twilight Team began heading for the exit, leaving the guardians behind. The eight combatants when they saw a collection of young women, dressed in long flowing white gowns constructed of an embarrassingly thin fabric. They headed directly towards the resistance group, the woman at the head of the harem, holding an ornate silver box.

"Excuse me," One of the women asked in a light voice, "But are you Aerrow of the Twilight Knights?" She inquired, turning to Finn.

"For you," Finn began slyly, slicking his hair back, "I could be." He cooed, immediately followed by both Cyclonis and Piper, punching him in the arm.

"That would be me," Aerrow stated, stepping out in front of the group, "What's this about?" He inquired, taking immediate suspicion of the women. Judging by the way they were dressed, obviously they were _employed_ by someone with money, and anyone against Cypress could never afford scantily clad couriers carrying solid silver parcels. He knew that this couldn't end well.

"Our master requests that you and your guardians join him this evening," The woman stated kindly, holding out the silver box toward Aerrow. He took the box accordingly as the group of girls gave them a slight bow and then headed out of the arena. Aerrow opened the box to note an enveloped letter inside. He rolled his eyes as he handed the box off to Finn.

"Seems excessive for a letter don't you think?" Ace asked, looking down at the box in his hands.

"We could try and hock it for some cash," Finn stated looking over the box.

"This all makes sense though," Aerrow added, not taking his eyes off of the letter, "It's from Carver…figures, Cypress gave him the world and he's finding every way he can to squander it."

"Or show it off," Stork stated, scoffing at the overall gesture, "If someone garroted him during the fights…that would be the highlight of my day." He concluded with a dark smile.

"What does he want with us?" Piper asked, trying to get a good look at the letter.

"He wants to meet with us," Aerrow stated quietly, looking over the parchment, "Just us…the eight of us that is…It says that he doesn't want any other Twilight Knights around."

"This sounds like a trap to me," Cyclonis stated, suspiciously as she looked to the others, "But you are the leader Aerrow…it's up to you."

"I'll talk to Sora once I can get her alone," Aerrow began after a few moments of silence, thinking it over, "We'll meet up out back of HQ at eight tonight. Say nothing about this to anyone, not even to each other, and _especially _not Nova or Starling."

"So we're going then?" Ace asked, with a slight sigh of discontent. Aerrow gave him a nod and with a unanimous groan they all nodded and headed out of the arena.

* * *

"SHH!" Piper hissed as she and Junko made a poor attempt to quietly make their way out of the headquarters without being seen or heard. Obviously, they weren't doing a very good job.

"Sorry Piper!" Junko whispered, hunching over, as they headed out into the passageway behind the former consulate building, "But I think Lumina City just wasn't built for wallops…"

"Could you two be any louder?" Ace sneered as Piper and Junko joined him and the remaining guardians under a nearby lamppost outside, "I thought the object here was _not _getting caught."

"Could you be anymore of a jerk," Piper muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes as the pair walked towards them. In truth, in their two short years apart, Ace had grown back into his old self rather quickly, and everyone was getting quite tired of his nasty and sarcastic quips.

"I'm going to preface this little venture by telling you all that I don't like this one bit," Sora began once the group was all together, "Did Carver say why he wanted to meet with us?"

"No," Aerrow shrugged, "But Lumina City is a neutral terra remember?" Aerrow re-assured, "There's nothing that Carver or Cypress or anyone else for that matter can do to us as long as we're here."

"I sure hope you're right about that Aerrow," Finn gulped nervously as the group headed through the streets of the city.

"How do we even know which estate belongs to Carver?" Sora asked as they headed down the building-packed boulevards of the city, lights blaring in their eyes, and people pushing past them as they did so.

"I already know where it is," Cyclonis growled disdainfully, gesturing the group to follow after her.

"Something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?" Aerrow asked, raising an eyebrow as they headed down the street.

"No…" Ace then interrupted, as the group stopped walking and Cyclonis turned around to face him. Cyclonis gave him and angry look and then nodded, "That bastard! You think he'd take it!"

"Someone wanna explain to me what's going on here?" Finn suggested, looking around in confusion.

"Back when I was empress of Cyclonia," Cyclonis explained, "My grandmother had a palace here in Lumina City that she stayed in while I rose to power, Tiranon. She also died here shortly after. Regardless, the palace itself is big, over the top, and worth a lot of money. However she left the palace to me in her death. Of course I didn't want it…but someone did."

"Carver," Aerrow added.

"Yeah," Cyclonis nodded in response, "He wanted the palace in exchange for stealing the aurora stone. I lied and told him that I'd give it to him."

"But you didn't," Piper began, haughtily.

"Of course she didn't," Ace snapped, turning to Piper, "That's because after Master Cyclonis' Grandmother passed she left the estate to me!"

"But evidently Carver repossessed it once you were sent to auntie dearest's prison," Cyclonis began, turning to him, "So this isn't a trap…Carver's just trying to show us all how badly we've hit rock bottom."

"Maybe we should just turn around a leave then," Finn grumbled, kicking the ground before him.

"No," Aerrow replied, placing his hand on Finn's shoulder, "We're still going, and we're going to prove to Carver that we're the better men…er…people that is…just because Carver has money doesn't mean he's more powerful than us."

"No…" Sora began with a slight shrug, "But he does have resources…and that's something we don't have, that we kind if need."

"Can't have resources without money," Stork began, "can't go anywhere without resources, if you can't go anywhere you _die_, ergo money is the root of all death."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Sora nodded.

"Come on you guys!" Aerrow exclaimed, trying to boost morale.

"Look Aerrow," Sora began, "We appreciate what you're doing, but I'm just being realistic."

"Let's just go to the palace," Aerrow sighed, shaking his head, and sounding as though he had given up. The group headed down the strip, at the end of which was a long and wide glowing white fountain that stretched across the way for what appeared to be nearly a mile. Behind the erupting jets of water they could see a gleaming silver structure. It was low to the ground, maybe only two or three stories, but panning out over acres and acres of space that covered the city.

"My guess would be that this is it," Piper stated nervously as they made they way over the delicate silver bridges that arched over the fountains. Clear ghostly fish darted about in the water below them, and nightcrawler sentries lined the platinum gates surrounding the palace. However, the guards let the group pass with ease as they walked up to the lavish entry way of the Cyclonian's former palace. The doors immediately opened and the group was greeted by several dozen pale women all dressed in the same thin, scantily clad clothing as before, standing in neat and orderly rows on each side of the palace's gilded foyer.

"Good evening," Carver began, stepping into the hall, "And how are the _oh so great and powerful guardians of Atmos_ doing this evening? Haha! And Dark Ace! My good friend, it's been far too long."

"Spare me the pleasantries Carver," Ace began, rolling his eyes, "We've never been friends."

"I see Cypress has been doing quite the job of making sure you stay a close ally," Cyclonis snapped, _admiring_ the splendor of the palace.

"A much better job then you ever did," Carver replied with a nasty little smile, as he took two of his women in his arms, "but we haven't come here to talk about my resent financial gain."

"Then what are we here to talk about?" Aerrow snapped, stepping directly in front of Carver. He simply laughed at Aerrow, gently pushing him back.

"Would you relax," Carver jeered, "_Kid_, I'm not here to cause trouble…I just want to wish my biggest competition good luck in the tournament that's all."

""Uh-huh," Piper began, crossing her arms, "And you had to invite us to your palace in the middle of Lumina City just so you could do that?"

"Well," Carver laughed, looking to them darkly, "There is one more thing."

"What would that be?" Aerrow demanded, crossing his arms.

"I have something you might be interested in," Carver smiled gesturing the group to come with him, "It's an interesting little piece that I acquired in my _travels _with Master Cypress. And I think you might have an interest in it to." Carver led them through several hallways and into what appeared to be the servants wing of the estate. The deeper they progressed into the hall, the worse they noted the conditions had been getting.

"This smells like a trap to me," Stork whispered nervously in Pipers ear as they continued down the hall.

"It's right in here," Carver began deviously, walking up to a large and weathered wooden door, "Or should I say, _she's _right in here." He began, as one of his maids opened the door, "I found this little gem during our raid on-I mean our negotiations on terra Phusis." He stated. Once the words left Carver's mouth, Ace's heart skipped a beat. At that moment he knew what this whole meeting was about. It wasn't a trap, it wasn't about psyching out the competition, and it wasn't about the palace."

"What do you want with me now Carver?" She hissed as he chains rattled and the light washed over her pale face. The rest of the group let out a gasp, and once she saw their faces she began to weep.

"Cloud…" Ace called, as he rushed into the room, and wrapped his arms around the chained druid.

* * *

**[Message from KC]:** EXCITEMENT! I am back! But I must cut this short for I gotta go to work in about 5 mins...so here it goes! Okay so this chapter is like stupid late I know and I will try to get the next one up quickly and try to stay on top of my updating from now on :D the drama had sort of cleared up in my life for the time being and I now have time to relax and write and breathe for a bit. So! IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK :D Read it, review it. Oh and don't forget to stop by my deviantart page guys. I love comments on that stuff, it seriously means a lot to me!


	41. Chapter 8: The Tournament

**[Message from Kingdom Come]:** I have a super important message to deliver to you guys :O…**CARDGAMES ON MOTORCYCLES!** Moving on…in all seriousness though this is kind if important :P Anyway, I really am going to try and kick some butt now and really get this done and updated so I can be finished before the semester starts at the end of August :/ seeing as how it's the 7th and I start school on the 24th and there are 29 more chapters and an epilogue to go…prolly not gonna happen -_- but I go to my grandparents for a few days on the 12th and I never have anything to do up there except for sitting around and writing so hopefully I can get a bunch of chapters written :D anyway! Hope you guys enjoy!

P.S. I have been enjoying the questions I have been getting from you guys lately in the reviews by the way (just thought I would add that :D) In general they've just been really good/descent questions that I had fun thinking about and answering.

* * *

Chapter VIII.

The Tournament

"You did what…" Nova began darkly, turning to the eight fighters later that very evening. It didn't take her long to notice that they were all missing, and once she noted that, it was blatantly apparent that they were all up to something, she just didn't know what. She had taken the eight guardians into the conference room and locked the doors, and the group braced themselves for the worst, given that Nova looked livid.

"Nova please," Aerrow bargained, "You can punish us all later! I know we shouldn't have met with Carver without your consent, but we had no choice!"

"I am so sick of hearing that!" Nova shouted, "Everyone has a choice! But you're not in trouble…" She then stated, her tone immediately changing.

"Wait…" Finn began, sounding all together confused, "We're not?"

"No," Nova replied, shaking her head as she looked down at the ground, "Had you not found Cloud's whereabouts however, this situation would be different, but because we now know that she's alive, and for the most part, safe, I am willing to make an exception."

"So what is the plan?" Ace then exclaimed, making his way to the head of the group.

"Win the tournament," Nova replied, as thought that was obvious, "Unfortunately, what Carver does with Cloud is out of my hands, if we try and infiltrate his palace, we'd be breaking the laws of Lumina City and therefore be back under Cypress' jurisdiction. Carver said that if we won, he'd give cloud back to us correct? Then our goal is clear. Win the tournament." Nova stated direly, just before leaving the conference room. Ace gritted his teeth and slammed his fists down on to the table.

"Carver's toying with me," He hissed, staring down at one of the maps of Atmosia, "He knows that if I know he's holding Cloud captive then my performance in the tournament will be effected because of it."

"Just relax," Aerrow stated, placing a hand on his shoulder. Ace immediately swatted him away and gave him a dark look.

"I don't need to relax!" Ace shouted, "I need to get Cloud back."

"No," Stork interrupted, leaning against a nearby wall, looking to the rest of the group with a dark smile, "Nova's right."

"Stork?" Piper inquired, turning to him, and sounding nervous, "Are you alright? Just yesterday you were terrified of fighting."

"Yesterday I didn't have this," Stork stated, placing a small glass bottle on to the table. It was filled with a suspicious murky looking liquid that the group looked at with a perplexed gaze.

"Is this," Sora began, pointing down at the vial, "Is this what I think it is?"

"It's venom from a brown shadowfang lurker," Stork stated morbidly, "The smallest but most potent spiders in all Atmos. Their venom is the most powerful neurotoxin found to date. We coat our weapons with this stuff and-"

"Absolutely not!" Aerrow interrupted, taking the vial away from Stork, "That will kill the other combatants! And you know Advent's vow, to avoid unwarranted harm to anyone-"

"You think those other fighters are going to give a damn about us?" Cyclonis asked, taking a step towards Aerrow, "You can bet they're all going to cheat and lie their way to the finals and if we're the only thing standing in the way of a group of thugs and their own weight in gold, you can bet that a fatality is going to be the last thing on their mind."

"Cyclonis is right," Piper nodded, looking down at the small vial of murky liquid, "As much as I hate to say it, we need and ace…so to speak." She stated, turning to look at Ace.

"I'm sure all the other teams have something," Finn whined, pleading the case to Aerrow, who still didn't look convinced.

"Let's face it," Sora stated, "Even though we're the largest of the teams to enter this tournament, we're the biggest underdogs. We don't have the manpower, the ingenuity, or the resources of half those teams." Sora stated, placing her hand down on to the table beside Stork's and beside the bottle of venom, "I'm siding with Stork's plan…it's the best shot that we've got at winning this thing."

"…I'm in too," Ace then stated after a long moment of silence, walking over towards Sora and Stork.

"So am I," Cyclonis nodded immediately, joining the group on the other side. Finn followed her after, and so did Piper. Junko looked back and fourth from Aerrow, who looked at them all disapprovingly and with disappointment, to the group (obviously caught between a moral dilemma).

"Sorry Aerrow," Junko sighed, looking disappointed in his own decision, "It…just seems like it's a good idea…"

"Yeah…" Aerrow snapped, giving them all harsh looks before he stormed out of the room, "These sort of things always do seem like a good idea at the time, don't they?" He asked, slamming the door behind him.

"Aerrow!" Piper called, moving to run after him. Sora placed her hand on Piper's shoulder and pulled her back into the room.

"Never mind him," Sora began with a slight smile, "He'll feel better about all this tomorrow once the opening ceremonies are over."

"I sure hope you're right Sora," Piper smiled, turning back to her.

"You should all get some rest," Ace then stated with a curious flicker in his eye, turning to the others who then looked to him quizzically, "I mean…before the ceremonies that is…" He stated, rushing out of the room.

"What was that about?" Finn asked, turning to Junko, who just shrugged in response.

Ace took off down the hallway of the resistance headquarters. He was heading to the records and reference room. He had recalled something while standing amidst his fellow guardians in the conference room. He reached a set of large and weathered green doors and pushed them open. He walked into a large and dusty room, stacked to the brim with books and old documents. He rifled through the shelves and skimmed through files for what felt like hours before finding what he believed he was looking for. He blew a thick layer of dust off of the cover and breathed a sigh of relief, knowing his hunch was correct. He was holding in his hands, the Red Palace Tournament official rule book. However, this particular rule book dated back nearly fifty years ago.

He took the rule book under his arm and headed back into the hallway. He rushed down towards the central chamber and burst into the room. Naturally, seeing as how it was always so busy, no one really saw him enter. He rushed past the other members of the Twilight Knights and the resistance and to the opposite end of the hall. It was there where he found both people he was looking for, Aerrow and Nova.

"Dark Ace," Nova began, looking up from her charts, "What is it? Are you alright? You look upset."

"I need to talk to you…" He stated, looking to Nova and then to Aerrow, "Both of you."

"Is this about the pois-" Aerrow began angrily, turning towards him, thinking that he had put this discussion to bed.

"No," Ace interrupted, gesturing both of them to follow him, "Now follow me." He began, holding the book tightly under his arm.

"For Jevanni's sake Dark Ace!" Nova snapped as he pulled her and Aerrow out into the hallway, "What is it!"

"This," He stated, holding up the old rule book he found once he was sure they were alone. Aerrow took the book from Ace's hands immediately and began flipping through the pages.

"I don't understand," Aerrow began looking up from the book, to him, "I thought the Red palace tournament had no rules…"

"As of two years ago," Ace stated, gesturing Aerrow to continue through the book, "I did some extra digging, and Cypress didn't instate the _no rules_ rule until two years ago."

"Or until she was sure that the Twilight Knights had made it through the rift," Nova added direly, "But why would she do such a thing?"

"I'm not sure," Ace began as Nova and Aerrow looked to him intently, "But with Carver holding Cloud captive, and Stork and the others resorting to using any kinds of dirty tricks they can get their hands on, I bet she has some plan hatched in that hungry little brain of hers."

"What do you mean by _dirty tricks_?" Nova asked, raising an eyebrow at the both of them, noting that Aerrow didn't bat an eyelash at Ace's remark.

"Stork _came across _a bit of illegal weapon enhancement," Ace stated darkly, turning to Nova.

"You mean crystals," Nova began, raising her eyebrow.

"Poison," Aerrow replied. Nova let out a gasp as she turned and gave him a look of shock, "The paralytic and deadly kind."

"Coated on the blades of our weapons and we'd be a force to be reckoned with," Ace stated, "But we would kill our other competitors."

"And seeing as how we are up against some of our allies," Aerrow then added.

"I…I didn't think about that," Ace then thought, looking down at the ground for a moment, "I suppose it's a more reckless idea than we thought. But we still don't have much of a choice in the matter."

"The choice is clear," Nova stated angrily, crossing her arms, "We Twilight Knights fight by the laws that Advent laid down for us centuries ago. We have an unwritten code of honor and fighting dirty isn't one of them. No poison…no cheating…no underhanded tactics! I'm talking to Stork and the rest of the guardians and I'm disposing of any toxins I may find." She stated, leaving the area.

"Nova's really doing her part to step up as leader in Advent's absence," Aerrow sighed, watching her walk out of the room.

"Too bad that our actual leader hasn't been playing her part," Ace scoffed, crossing his arms, "has anyone even met this Cresselia woman anyway?"

"No not really," Aerrow sighed, hanging his head low, "Dark Ace, I have to ask…what made you think to look up the tournament rules anyway?"

"It never occurred to me until this moment," Ace stated, looking down at the book in Aerrow's hands, "I always recalled there being rules, but it never really struck me until that moment…I guess you could say it was like an epiphany…still…Nova's right about one thing, why would Cypress want to abolish the rules in the tournament?"

"It seems obvious," Aerrow sighed, looking up to him, crossing his arms, "Cypress wants us dead. The way I see it, is through a tournament with no rules, she can have a bunch of thugs rip us apart for free while she and her goons sit back and enjoy the show. This is all starting to seem more and more like a trap to me, and I think we're crawling right into it."

"…I think you're wrong," Ace stated, after several long moments of silence.

"Then what do you think?" Aerrow asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.

"Call me crazy," Ace began, looking down at the old rule book in his hands, "But haven't you noticed that since the announcement of the tournament…we've all been at each other's throats?'

"…Yes," Aerrow stated reluctantly, looking up at Ace.

"We've been disagreeing about everything Aerrow!" Ace exclaimed, "Team mates, weapon choices, battle strategies. And it seems like with each passing hour, everyone in this building grows farther and farther apart. I think Cypress may have the intentions of ending the lives of several twilight knights during the fights, but I believe that she's also trying to drive us apart."

"No," Aerrow replied, laughing slightly, "There's no way that would even work…after what we've been through…all of us! There's no way Cypress could drive us apart."

"Just…" Ace sighed, just before leaving the area, "Think about it Aerrow…Cypress…she's testing us…"

"I suppose she is…" Aerrow sighed quietly to himself once he was alone.

* * *

"Welcome Champions of Atmos!" Cypress called standing upon a large platform suspended above the arena. Large display screens were positioned throughout the stadium, focused on Cypress' ghastly pale face, flickering as she spoke, "It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the opening ceremonies of the Red Palace Tournament!"

As she said this, the spectators in their seats began to scream and cheer. The stands began to rumble and it felt as though the terra itself was pulsing with the energy from the crowd.

"Now please give a warm welcome to our reigning champion of the red palace tournament," Cypress then continued into the speaker, even over the roar of the crowd, "Carver!" She cheered as the former sky knight strode on to the platform beside his master with two of his slave maidens on each of his arms (one of them being Cloud, who looked like she wished she was dead), "Do you have anything you'd like to say to the crowd before we introduce the teams this year Carver?" Cypress asked arrogantly, handing off the microphone to him.

"Only that I foresee myself being the champion again this year," Carver laughed, his smug jeers, echoing through the stadium as the crowd cheered.

"We'll just see about that," Cypress laughed, looking over Carver and giving him a contemptuous smirk, "So without further ado, let's meet the contenders for this year!" She shouted as the fighters filed on to the arena floor, and the roar of the crowd grew even louder.

"This…is a lot of people…" Junko gulped nervously, looking around at the screaming crowd around him and the thousands of faces from all over Atmos staring them all down.

"Yeah…" Finn replied, pulling at his collar, "No kidding…"

"Our first team is lead by yours truly," Cypress began, pointing to herself with a smug smile, as her collection of cronies walked up behind her (Cyrus and Carver included), "I would like to introduce the Imperial Team!" She gestured as the crowd cheered.

"Seems like the crowd's really rooting for the bad guys," Snipe scoffed, looking around at the cheering fans.

"Don't worry," Nova stated, pulling her hair out of her face, "They won't be the fan favorites for very long."

Cypress continued introducing several teams from all over Atmos for what seemed like hours. The twilight knight's team watched in boredom as several much smaller teams stood in the center of the ring and smiled and waved as the crowd booed their names (clearly only rooting for the imperial team), and waiting for their own name to be called.

"This team is truly a group of underdogs," Cypress introduced, as a shady looking bunch headed into the center of the ring, "Lead by Captain Scabulous, formerly of the Murk Raiders, Team Voleur!"

"Check it out," Piper whispered as the others watched the dire looking team step into the center of the ring, seeming to be unaffected by the jeers and hisses coming from the crowds.

"They look pretty pissed," Cyclonis added, looking over the faces of the criminal team. They stepped away from the center of the arena and as they walked back through the arena floor, Captain Scabulous and Skyler looked towards the twilight knights.

"I don't like those looks," Starling stated, noting the less than friendly greetings that they were getting from the team.

"Don't let it bother you," Ace stated, not even looking at any of the opposing teams. His eyes were deadlocked with Carvers, moving only to make contact with Clouds occasionally.

"And finally!" Cypress shouted, as the crowd cheered, ready for the fights to begin, "Introducing our final team in the fights, consisting of the fabled twilight knights and lead this year by their _second in command_, Tarja Nova," Cypress introduced, jokingly and rather disrespectfully, "please put your hands together for team twilight!"

A roar of negative shouts came raining down on the team as they moved to the center of the arena. The spectators spat and hissed curses down at the team as Cypress and her team watched the Twilight Knights squirm under the pressure of being hated so much. Cypress laugh slightly, listening to the audience shout and roar for a few more moments before returning to the microphone.

"And there you have it," Cypress shouted, "It's shaping up to be quite the tournament. I know I can't wait to get into the ring! As all of you know though, there can only winner of the red palace tournament, and the winner has much to gain. First," Cypress began, stepping aside as several dozen of Carver's servants hauled a massive golden platter, overflowing with gold and jewels, "Riches beyond your wildest dreams!"

The other competitors began drooling like a pack of wild dogs once the treasure was placed on display. However, the knights didn't care much for the prize money. They sought after the more _practical_ of the prizes. Cypress then gestured the man servants to take the riches away and they did so. Once the treasure was carried out of the arena floor. She then pulled a small black pass from under her black robes.

"The winner of the tournament will also receive one of these," Cypress stated with a devious little smile, "This pass will name the carrier as an honorary lieutenant in my regiment, and grant them access several forbidden points in Atmos. If I must say so…this is something worth having."

_And that's what we're after_, Aerrow thought, looking at the black pass in Cypress' hands.

"Finally," Cypress chirped, placing the pass back within her robes and clapping her hands together, "The winner will face off against the red palace champion, Carver, for a chance to receive the title for themselves! Having the title of palace champion also has its…_perks_, so to speak, that is, so give it your all out there!" She concluded as the crowd began to scream and cheer.

Brightly colored rockets shot into the air, and exploded in a display directly over the arena. Pilots on skimmers flew into the air as well, spinning about and showing off, wasting the potential of the vehicles on impressing the audience rather than for their intended purpose. Aerrow watched them enviously for a few moments before being pulled aside by his fellow guardians.

"We have to talk dude!" Finn exclaimed, as the eight of them huddled together, avoiding the other twilight knights.

"What's wrong?" Aerrow inquired, raising an eyebrow at them.

"Yeah so the round one fights start tomorrow and we haven't divided into teams yet," Ace stated with slight frustration.

"Right," Aerrow thought, scratching his head, "Teams of three? Right?"

"Yeah," Cyclonis shrugged, trying to talk over the screaming crowds and fireworks display, "Which would normally not be a bad thing, but now that Cloud isn't in the picture, it's kind of problematic…"

"Well…" Aerrow sighed, looking around him for some kind of answer, "We'll figure something out before tomorrow…I'm sure…"

"We might wanna put a rush on that," Junko added, scratching his head.

* * *

"Then the opening ceremonies went as you had planned?" Meno asked, walking into the dining chamber of Carver's palace. Cypress was sitting at the head of his table, sipping on a goblet full of some reddish liquid. Sitting beside her on the floor was Cloud, still bound in her chains.

"All according to plan," Cypress smiled, taking a sip, "And you my dear…" She smiled, stroking Cloud's ears, "You were so well behaved! I'm going to tell Carver to be extra nice to you tonight."

"You can go to hell," Cloud spat, her chains rattling as she hissed at Cypress. She turned to Cloud and looked down at the Druid.

"I vacation there," Cypress replied, unaffected by her comment.

"There is still no word on the location of Cresselia or Advent," Meno then added as Cypress turned back to her, "I regret to inform you, master."

"I'm not worried about it Meno," Cypress smiled, waving Meno off, as she took firm hold of the chain around Cloud's neck, "Now off with you…you have much to complete before the first round begins tomorrow."

"Yes master Cypress," Meno smiled darkly, taking a bow as she left the room, "Have fun Cloud…" She laughed, exiting the room.

"What have you got planned Cypress," Cloud growled, as Cypress pulled Cloud in closer to her by the chain around her neck.

"Oh you'll just have to wait and see little druid," Cypress smiled, "But in the meantime…there's someone who's requested your presence…immediately." She smiled. Cloud then noted Carver was standing beside Cypress, just out of the corner of her eye. Cloud then began struggling, trying to break free of her chains, but it was no use.

(**KC's** **WARNING: **I'm just putting this warning out here right now, this scene is very very dark and even though there is no actual sex, it might upset some sensitive people, so I just figured I'd give everyone the heads up)

"It's no use Cloud," Carver began, rolling his eyes, as he pulled at the chain around her neck, preventing her from calling out for help. He picked her up by the neck and then restrained her arms. Cloud kicked her legs in every direction, but unfortunately, Carver was at her back.

"Do what you wish to her," Cypress stated casually as Carver dragged Cloud out of the hall with her struggling in his arms.

"Let me go!" Cloud screamed with what little breath and energy she had.

"Not likely," Carver smiled darkly as he took her deeper down the hallway. He stopped at a large doorway, where he violently threw her down on to the floor. He threw the doors open which revealed a dimly lit bedchamber.

"NO!" Cloud screamed in horror as she scrambled to her feet. Carver seized the chain around her neck, choking her and pulling her back towards him.

"Oh no," Carver laughed, dragging her into the room, "You're not getting away from me that easily…" He whispered, pushing her into the room. He threw her down on to the bed, despite all of her struggling. Cloud tried several times to make a break for the door, but Carver kept pulling her back down on to the bed by the chain leash around her neck.

"Please…" Cloud whispered, in her desperate final attempt to escape her fate, as Carver pinned her down, "I'll do anything but this…please…"

"I don't think so, beautiful," Carver replied, pushing his opened mouth against hers. Cloud let out a whimper of despair as Carver attempted to pry her mouth open with his tongue. He placed his hands on her knees and quickly began making his way up her thighs, pushing up her skirt.

"Get off!" Cloud screamed, once Carver pulled away from her mouth.

"You can scream all you want," He began, "No one is going to-" he continued, before being interrupted by a loud banging noise, like the sound of metal. His eyes went glassy, and he then slid lazily off of Cloud.

"She said…get off…" A voice growled, standing over the pair, holding a large metal pipe in their hands.

"C-Cyrus!" Cloud exclaimed, tears running down the woman's face. She leapt to her feet as she wrapped her pale arms around the red-head.

"Both of you hurry up!" Anaximenes then growled, as the red-haired triplet stuck his head into the room, "He'll wake up any minuet!"

"I don't understand!" Cloud began as the trio darted out of the room and through the halls of the palace, "but I thought you were on Cypress' side."

"Did you forget that I helped you guys out," Anaximenes snapped, turning around to face Cloud as they ran.

"Anaximenes has always been on our side," Cyrus stated, looking around one of the many corners of the palace, "Quickly…it's this way…"

"W-what's this way?" Cloud asked as she followed the pair down another hallway.

"We're getting you out of here Cloud," Cyrus stated, stopping before what appeared to be a laundry chute. Cyrus pulled the hatch open and Anaximenes jumped down, "After you…"

"Cyrus…" Cloud cried, "I don't know how to thank you…"

"Don't thank me just yet!" Cyrus snapped, "you're not out of the palace! And I'm still one of Cypress' imperial guards!" She snapped, pushing Cloud down the chute.

The trio landed in a pile of dirty linens at the end of the chute. Anaximenes helped Cyrus and Cloud out of the pile of dirty fabrics and through the darkened servants quarters. They ducked through the darkened catacombs and headed up a dusty tunnel like stair case. At the end of the case was a large and heavy trap door. Cyrus pushed the door upwards and the lights from Lumina City flooded the passageway. Cloud breathed deeply as Anaximenes and Cyrus pulled her up into the streets of the city for the first time in a year.

"Now go," Cyrus stated direly, "The Twilight Knight headquarters is not far from here…"

"Thank you…" Cloud whispered quietly as Anaximenes unlocked the chains that bound her, "Thank you both…If there's anything that I can do-"

"You can repay us by getting to the headquarters as soon as possible," Anaximenes stated, looking back towards the palace with worry on his face, "But you need to be quick about it…once Carver awakens…he'll have sentries scouring Atmos looking for you…so go."

"Right…" Cloud nodded, taking off in the other direction, running towards the consulate building, her freedom in her grasp.


	42. Chapter 9: The Other Sister Dawnrunner

**[Message from KC]: **Quick and (kinda) short plot development chapter for you guys today :3 Trying to get in as much writing as I can but it sucks when you have to work all freakin day and night -_- anyway! I've seriously been appreciating the comments/reviews. I think I got about three or four on the last chapter alone. Seriously guys, that's been great! Thank you so much, the feedback has been keeping me going during this insanely hectic and stressful time in my insignificant little life 8D m'kay! Hope you enjoy you guys! Happy Tuesday everybody!

* * *

Chapter IX.

The Other Sister Dawnrunner

"Gather round everyone!" Nova commanded later after the team had convened back at the resistance headquarters after the opening ceremonies. The knights and other members of the resistance gathered around the map of Atmos in the center of the great hall, headed by Nova and Matteo.

"Nova and I just got off the radio," Matteo explained to the rest of the group, "It was an interesting call from Cresselia herself…she says that there's a rather interesting guest in the benevolent Cypress' prisons back in new Atmosia."

"Which means that we're going to New Atmosia…" Nova explained, "Tonight."

"Have you absolutely lost your mind?" Ravess exclaimed, gripping the space between her eyes, "Round one of the tournament starts in only a few hours, and were barely prepared! And now you want us to go on a rescue mission!"

"Not to mention," Starling added, "This seems more like a suicide mission with the circumstances being how they are today…does this Cresselia woman really know what she's doing?"

"I trust her," Nova exclaimed, leaning over the table, "For the past two years, this woman has managed to keep us and herself under Cypress' radar with minimal casualties and capture. She's yet to steer us wrong."

"Nova's right," Matteo nodded, "Besides, the entire movement isn't coming with us…we'll be happy to accept volunteers rather than forcing people to come along."

"Then I'll go," Snipe stated, placing his hand on Nova's shoulder. She smiled up at him and turned back to look at the seemingly quiet group.

"I'll go," Ace then called reluctantly, walking over towards them.

"Then so will I," Sora added as Sherekan leapt up on to her shoulder, "With all this muscle…you're going to need someone small sneaking around for you…"

"Good thinking as always miss Sora!" Sherekan purred as she stroked his long ears.

"Cresselia's arranged a transport for us," Nova stated as the small rescue party had begun to make their way out of the headquarters.

"Wait!" Aerrow called suddenly as Radarr suddenly jumped on to his shoulder, "We're coming along too!"

"Why?" Matteo asked contemptuously, raising an eyebrow as the redhead and his companion bounded down the stairs behind them.

"Because," Aerrow replied playfully and hot-headedly, "You guys won't last ten-seconds alone on New Atmosia without me!"

"I somehow doubt that," Ace replied, rolling his eyes at Aerrow as they headed through the streets of Lumina. The rescue party made their way to the transport docks of the city, where they found a small, but inconspicuous looking carrier.

"Are you the crewmen sent to pick up the cargo for the boss?" the transport pilot inquired, winking towards Nova. She gave him a sly nod as he opened the hatch to the transport and they all climbed on. They seated themselves on the cold metal benches inside and the hatch sealed shut. At that moment, a small, but old copper device hanging at Nova's side had began to ring.

"I haven't seen one of those in forever!" Aerrow exclaimed, looking down at the communicator in Nova's hands.

"Come in," Nova called, flicking the device open.

"Nova," the voice on the other side replied, "It's Cresselia…there's been a problem…"

"What kind of problem?" Nova asked direly, holding the communicator close to her face.

"I need you to get to the New Atmosia stockades as soon as possible," Cresselia replied, "There's no time to explain!" she shouted. They then heard what sounded like rushing water burst through the speakers of the device, and the sounds of Cresselia gasping for breath, and then nothing but static.

"What in hell what was that!" Snipe exclaimed, looking towards the communicator.

"It sounded like water…" Matteo began, looking down at the device curiously.

"Anaximander…" Sora began, looking towards Ace and Aerrow who nodded in agreement, "Seeing as how he's the only person probably in the entire universe who can turn into water…He must have found Cresselia and the prisoner."

"Then we'd better hurry and get to them," Matteo exclaimed, rising to his feet.

"Relax," Nova snapped, pulling him back down on to the bench, "We have to get to New Atmosia first…and the get to the prison, so don't even get me started on _actually getting inside_ let alone finding them and breaking them out. Cresselia is a big girl…she can handle herself."

"So what exactly was your plan for getting us inside then?" Snipe asked, turning to Nova.

"I was going to cross that bridge when I came to it…" Nova replied casually.

* * *

"So," Piper began, as a group crowded around her, in the main hall of the headquarters, "One hundred and twenty people can move on to round two of the tournament, that means-"

"fourty teams!" Junko chimed in, "I can do math!"

"Right," Starling nodded, leaning against a nearby surface, and sounding a little concerned, "And there's no limit to the amount of fights in round one or two for that matter…it could last anywhere from a few days to a few months to get through all the matches."

"We don't have that kind of time either," Cyclonis stated, looking up to the other faces of the group.

"Regardless of the time," Ravess chimed in, waving Cyclonis off, "Our primary objective should be getting into the third round."

"Well obviously not all of us can do that," Piper then added, "because of the one hundred and twenty people, only twenty move on to the finals."

"Great," Finn groaned, rolling his eyes, "So we go from about a billion people, to a hundred people, to twenty…this tournament is gonna last forever…"

"It might," Leto grumbled, scratching his fingers through his thick red hair, "I'm startin' ta tink' we might be in ova our heads…Cypress be havin' some major advantages…and de otha teams seem a bit more prepared."

"I think we're going to be just fine," Piper stated darkly, looking down at the ground.

"There is something that has me…concerned," Stork began, edgily, looking around at the others in the group.

"There's always something that has you concerned!" Ravess snapped, crossing her arms.

"What is it Stork?" Piper asked, turning to look at him.

"We keep talking about getting to the final round," He stated, observing the reactions of the other members of the group, "But what's going to happen when we have to fight each other…because if we all make it to the finals, it's going to happen."

"I didn't even think about that," Cyclonis replied, after several moments of silence.

"We'll figure something out," Starling stated nervously, looking at the faces within the small group. They began to disperse with that being noted, heading to their dwellings before the fights finally begun tomorrow.

"Starling," Piper began, placing a hand on her shoulder before she could leave the hall. She turned around to face Piper, looking slightly concerned, "What are we going to do when and if we have to fight each other?"

"I'm hoping that it doesn't happen," Starling replied with a shrug, "Somehow, maybe it can…is there a way for one of us to win the tournament without us fighting one another?"

"I don't know," Piper sighed, "The matches are decided by a random draw. I don't think we will until the finals. But still-"

"I know where you're concerned," Starling added, placing her hands on Piper's shoulders, "But you're worrying too much about it for now."

"I guess you're right," Piper nodded, "But there is one more thing that's been bothering me…"

"What's that?" Starling asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know if you've noticed," Piper began, looking up to her, "But everyone has been acting really weird lately…I mean since the tournament ordeal started…"

"Actually I have noticed," Starling replied, lowering her tone to almost a whisper, "Especially amongst you guardians…if I must say, you haven't been acting like yourselves…present company excluded of course."

"Something just feels off to me," Piper stated, looking around the now silent main hall, "And I can't help but feel like there's more to this tournament than meets the eye…"

"How do you mean?" Starling inquired.

"I'm not sure," Piper replied, "Something just isn't right."

"Piper," Starling began, turning to the youth before she could leave the hall, "I overheard Aerrow and the Dark Ace talking about something earlier…and…you know what…it's nothing, never mind…"

"No, what was it?" Piper asked, turning back around.

"No," Starling replied, with a slight smile, shaking her head, "It's really nothing…besides, you should get to sleep anyway."

"Alright," Piper replied before leaving the hallway. Starling let out a slight sigh and then looked to the clock hanging on the wall. She noted that it was nearly two o'clock in the morning. She moved to head to her own dwelling for the night when she heard a loud grinding noise coming from the foyer of the building. She seized her nun-chucks hanging at her side, and carefully crept through the hall, not making a sound. She noted that the large doors of the headquarters had been pushed open, and a short but curvaceous (and rather disoriented looking) figure was standing in the doorframe. Starling immediately lowered her weapon.

"Oh my g-" She began.

"Starling!" Cloud exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the woman's neck. Starling didn't know quite what to say, how to feel, or how to react. Admittedly, she was a little reluctant to be happy about it.

"C-cloud!" She exclaimed, "How in God's name did you escape! I thought that Carver…he-"

"I can't tell you," Cloud began, tears hanging in her eyes, "The point is I'm here!"

* * *

"Alright," Nova began, pulling Sora up by her wrists out of a nearby manhole. Aerrow and Snipe pushed the cover back over once everyone in the group had climbed out of the sewer safely. They stood before a towering barbed wire fence, behind which was the bastion know as the New Atmosian stockades.

"Never thought I'd be coming back here," Ace stated as he moved to climb the fence.

"Wait!" Sherekan squeaked. He stopped and watched as the small creature squeezed underneath the fence. Sherekan scampered across the ground to a nearby steel box and ripped off the cover panel. He began tearing at the wires inside and in an instant the fence panel the group was standing beside began to spark and crack as the hidden electric charge surging through it had faded.

"Good thinking Sherekan," Sora smiled, as the group began scaling the fence.

"I'll stay out here and keep watch," Matteo stated once everyone else was on the other side.

"Alright," Nova nodded, "Just be careful Matt…there aren't nearly as many patrols here now that Cypress is gone…but it's still just as dangerous."

"I'll be fine Nova," Matteo nodded as the group crept through the darkened prison yard. Rather than crawling through the ventilation shafts like last time, Nova had thought of a different approach to getting inside. They approached the nearest door and Nova gestured to the security console on the side. Radarr jumped off of Aerrow's shoulder and scurried up to the security console. He ripped it off of the wall, causing the alarm to ring for only a few moments before Sherekan ripped out the wires, just as he had done with the electric fence. Nova then gestured to Snipe, who proceeded to kick the door down.

"We have to move!" Nova stated, as the group rushed through the dark corridors of the prison, "Those Nightcrawlers are going to be all over that door in about five minuets. We've got to find Cresselia and get the hell out of here!"

"Problem!" Aerrow snapped, rushing up behind her, "We don't even know where they are."

_Anteres…_a familiar voice then whispered through the Dark Ace's ears. He recognized it immediately as Farrah's. He looked around him, trying not to draw attention to himself, and then noticed the specter of the young girl drifting up beside him.

_What does she want with me now!_ Ace growled, unbeknownst to him that Farrah could hear everything that he was thinking.

"I've not appeared to ask anything of you today," Farrah giggled, both of them knowing full well that none of the others could hear or see her, "I've come to help! Cresselia is an important instrument in Advent and my mother's destruction…I cannot allow her to be lost within this citadel."

"What do you have up your sleeve?" Ace whispered, trying not to be noticed by the others.

"Nothing," Farrah giggled, "That is, nothing that you won't soon find out about! Cresselia and her prized captive are on the third level. There's a platform coming up ahead that will take you directly to them…if you'll just follow me…"

"Everyone!" Ace then exclaimed, stopping the group in their tracks, "Quickly! It's this way!" He shouted, following after the young specter.

"How do you know!" Sora exclaimed, chasing after him.

"Uhm…" He began, as the ghost of Farrah turned around and gave him a dark look, "Call it an intuition?" They stepped on to the platform and it began to ascend to the third level, and immediately as they did so, an alarm began to sound throughout the prison.

"They know we're here!" Aerrow exclaimed.

"Yeah and you know what's not going to help?" Nova snapped, turning to him, "You pointing out the obvious…" The platform halted to a stop and let the group off. In the distance of the hallway, they heard the sounds of heavy boots pounding against metal.

"Where do we go now genius!" Snipe growled. Ace watched Farrah as she glided down the hallway, gesturing him to follow her. He nodded and began chasing the girl ghost. She stopped before a large door amidst the passageway at a point where the passage became wider to accommodate the size of the door. She phased through it, all the while, gesturing them to follow her through.

"This is it," Ace stated, noting that the sounds of the rushing footsteps was getting closer and closer. Instinctively, he punched through the entry keypad, shattering the screen, which immediately opened the door. The group then rushed inside without a thought as to what may or may not be inside.

"Thank heaven's you've arrived," A soft and pleasant voice began. She was sitting casually at a small table amidst the massive metal cell, calmly sipping tea.

"Advent!" Nova exclaimed, looking into the pale visage of the Twilight Knight's leader, "But…you…how…where have you been all this time!"

"Well obviously here," Advent replied, placing her cup back down on to the table.

"Well it's about time you all showed up," Another familiar voice snapped, stepping towards them from beside Advent. She was soaked in water and didn't look at all thrilled, not to mention, she was the spitting image of Advent, only slightly younger.

"Okay…" Aerrow began, looking at the two, "Someone please explain to me what's going on here…"

"I am the infamous Cresselia," the Advent double explained proudly, stepping forward to claim her title, "Cresselia Dawnrunner-"

"There's another sister!" Snipe exclaimed, "How many sisters are in this family."

"Just two," Advent replied with a slight smile.

"Wait…" Ace thought for a moment, looking back and fourth between the pair, "So this is you…or was you…or is currently you?"

"Master Anteres," Sherekan began, "The more you think about it, the more it's just going to confuse you."

"Yes," Cresselia smiled, "As it would appear I have an older time duplicate…"

"We'll explain any inconsistencies later," Advent began, rising to her feet, "For now, it is time for us to leave this place…" She stated, holding out her hands to the group.

"I don't think so," A cold and icy voice stated flatly. They turned around and noted that the watery eyed triplet, Anaximander, was standing in the cell with them. He had Matteo restrained and struggling to break free.

"Let him go!" Nova shouted, taking one of her guns from the holster.

"One prisoner in exchange for another," Anaximander explained coldly, as a dark and shadowy portal appeared behind him, "I think that's fair."

"Indeed it is," Advent replied darkly as she locked eyes with the triplet.

"Advent!" Aerrow exclaimed, taking his blades in hand.

"GO!" Matteo then shouted, breaking free for a few moments, "GO! I'll be fine! Just go! And win the tournament!"

"You heard the man!" Cresselia shouted, as she and Advent seized the collars of the group. The two women then began to glow and in a flash of white light, the group found themselves in the main hallway of the resistance headquarters.

"What did you do that for!" Snipe shouted, seizing Cresselia's collar, "The seven of us and the two rats, we could have taken that guy easy!"

"I'm going to ignore the _two rats_ comment," Radarr began disdainfully.

"Likewise," Sherekan growled.

"Matteo will be fine," Advent explained, pulling the two apart, "If you knights can manage to win the tournament we'll be able to release him from Cypress' captivity easily."

"Meanwhile the rest if you have bigger problems," Cresselia stated, turning to them, "Your focus should be on the fights tomorrow, and you're going to need someone to take Matteo's place in the tournament…I'll be filling that position."

"Now off with all of you," Advent gestured, shooing them all away, "You've much resting to do before tomorrow." She stated dismissing them.

"Wait," Ace stated, being the last person to leave the room. He seized Advent by the arm before she could leave him, "You've got a lot of explaining to do Advent…" He began angrily, pointing to Cresselia, "Who the hell is this?"

"I told you that something was amiss my dear uncle," Farrah stated darkly as the specter appeared beside him.


	43. Chapter 10: Round One

**[IMPORTANT Message from KC]: MADNESS! **Anyway a quick note about the tournament chapters. There are ONLY three. There's a chapter for round one, round two, round three and then it's the final battle with Carver and Cypress and blahblahblah you get the picture m'kay? SOOOOOOO this means that this chapter is going to be LONG! I mean, even longer than Atmosian Peace Conference…And that doesn't go for this chapter, that goes for all the tournament chapters. Unfortunately I, as a writer, am far to lazy to divide up the chapters and make them a more reasonable length, so you'll just have to deal with the 30-some page insanity (I recommend bookmarking the page and reading in two parts). Sooo because this chapters is so frigging long and the other tournament chapters will be too if not longer, I'd like to let everyone know that chapter fifteen will mark the end of Book 1 of Volume 2 (just as the end of the Atmosian peace conference marked the end of Book 1 in Volume 1). I now realized that this author's note is insanely long. I have more information about the rest of volume 2 but I will post it in the author's note of the next insanely long chapter. So without further ado, enjoy the beginning of the tournament (finally…)

Chapter X.

Round One

"Cloud!" Ace exclaimed as the fighters convened in the main hall of the headquarters early the next morning. He rushed up to the pale woman and wrapped his arms tightly around her, "Is it really you?" he whispered.

"Yes this is real," She replied, taking his face in her hands, "I'm really here…"

"How in the world did you escape?" Piper asked, as the rest of the group crowded around her.

"I just saw an opportunity…" Cloud replied, with a slight shrug, knowing that she couldn't yet tell them the truth, "And I took it."

"Interesting," Nova replied, looking over to her suspiciously.

"It's great to have you back Cloud," Cyclonis smiled, hugging the druid the moment Ace loosened his grip on her.

"Cloud!" Sora exclaimed, rushing into the room, Sherekan clinging to her shoulder, "Cloud is that really you!"

"S-sora!" Cloud began, shaking her head as the now teenaged girl came rushing towards her, "You look so…grown up!"

"It's kind of a long story," Sora replied with a sheepish smile, "But enough about me…I can't believe it! You actually escaped!"

"Yes yes she escaped from captivity," Nypherious then hissed, stepping into the crowd, "Sorry for bursting everyone's bubble but other Twilight Knights have been doing that for the past two years now so it's not really something to gawk over now is it?"

"Shove it Nympherious!" Aida hissed, turning to the grey Merb.

"Oh I'm sorry fairy boy," Nympherious snapped, turning to Aida, "Sorry that I don't get all sentimental like the rest of you saps! Besides I think we're forgetting what's important here…we've got a tournament to get to that starts in a few hours…"

"He's right!" Snipe then shouted, rallying the attention of everyone in the room, "Hop to it you slackers! Nova and Advent wanted everyone ready for the fights yesterday so move it!" He commanded as the knights scrambled to apply what little armor and weapons they had.

"Hey Piper! Cyclonis!" Sora shouted, strapping a thick leather pouch to her upper thigh amidst all the chaos, "Come here a second."

"What's up?" Piper asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Catch," Sora gestured, taking something from the pouch and throwing it to each of the girls. They were rather small, and somewhat depleted crystals, "There not much, but I figure they're something…other than my own," She stated, showing them her familiar pale violet crystal which she used in most of her reactions (in truth, it looked like it was on it's last legs), "Those are all that I've got…" She concluded, slipping her rune inscribed gloves on over her hands.

"Thanks Sora," Cyclonis smiled, placing the pale blue stone into the tip of her staff, "This is great."

"Sora if this is all you've got," Piper began, handing the crystal back to Sora, "Than you should use it."

"I'll be fine," Sora nodded, pushing the crystal back towards her, "It's you guys I'm worried about. Don't be a hero Piper…If the only thing standing in your way of moving up in the tournament is having or not having that crystal, then I don't want to be remembered as the girl who took back your only shot."

"Then thanks," Piper smiled, placing her crystal within the staff as well.

"Cresselia," Advent called, walking up after her time twin as the knights rushed through the main hall, "We need to talk."

"About what?" Cresselia responded promptly, sheathing her own rapier, eerily similar to Advent's.

"About you taking dear Matteo's place in the tournament today," Advent stated, "The thing of it is, you won't be."

"I beg your pardon?" Cresselia asked, not looking up from her blade, and seemingly unaffected by the remark.

"I will instead," Advent stated, looking over to her double, who was ignoring her completely. Cresselia looked up to her with a face that read: Oh…you've got to be kidding me…

"Advent…" Cresselia replied, "That is, if that's what I'm supposed to call you…you can't seriously fight in this. You'll get eaten alive."

"I can hold my own," Advent replied arrogantly, raising an eyebrow at Cresselia, "I'm assuming that your comment had more to do with my age, rather than my fighting ability."

"Well yes," Cresselia replied, rolling her eyes, "I was trying to be polite about it, but face it Advent, as far as valkyries go, you're ancient."

"Thank you for that," Advent replied coolly, "I forgot what a contemptuous and shallow little brat I used to be…anyway I'm still competing and you are not."

"For Jevanni's sake!" Cresselia snapped, as Advent began to walk away from her, clearly ending the discussion, "Why!"

"I have a score to settle," Advent replied, "And my big sister has provided me with the perfect venue in which to settle it."

* * *

"At last the day you've all been waiting for has arrived!" The Master of ceremonies shouted into the microphone as the crowd began to scream and cheer, "Welcome to round one of the Red Palace Tournament!" She continued as the stands shook with the enthusiasm of the crowd.

"Are you guys ready for this?" Aerrow asked, turning around to face his team, Piper and Junko.

"Let's do this!" Junko cheered.

"Then let's not beat around the bush everybody!" The MC rallied, "Let's get things kicked off with our first match!" She shouted, gesturing everyone to look at the large screen hanging above the platform above her head. There were three blank photograph squares on each side of the screen, between them a vs. icon. Random faces began to flash rapidly through the photo icons for several minuets before stopping, "Well it looks like we have our first match for the night!" The MC shouted, pointing up to the screen, "And what a way to start us off! This looks to be a good one. From team Voleur, Skyler, Repton, and Captain Scabulous versus Blister, Burner, and Blaze of team Flare!"

"The third degree burners?" Aerrow asked, turning to the others of team Twilight.

"They must have entered the tournament on their own," Starling began as they watched from the team staging area as the two teams stepped into the arena.

"Lots of former Sky Knight squadrons dissolved from the resistance movement in order to compete by themselves," Nova explained disdainfully, "For their own selfish motives, or perhaps to save their own skins. Had most of you been paying attention during the opening ceremonies, you would have known that."

"Who else is competing on their own?" Finn asked curiously.

"You name them," Snipe began, crossing his arms and standing beside Nova.

"The Rebel Ducks, Rex Guardians, Screaming Queens," Nova began as Captain Scabulous and Blister stepped into the center of the ring, reluctantly shook hands, and walked back to their teams, "Even the Absolute Zeroes left to fight on their own."

"Then I say good luck to them," Cyclonis began indifferently, "They're going to need it."

"Fighters ready?" The MC Shouted, stepping back on to her platform and away from the fray about to unfold, "And BEGIN!"

"Who should we root for?" Piper asked curiously, turning to the others.

"I don't think it matters," Ace replied, "We don't really want either of them to win anyway, but I suppose team Voleur is the bigger threat."

"You're going down girly!" Burner shouted, coming directly at Skyler. He plunged his fist down towards her, but Skyler evaded the attack rather easily.

"Sorry about this," Skyler then stated quietly, as her arm began glowing red, pulsing with energy. She threw her hand against the bulky man's chest as quickly as she could, and in a flash of red light, the large fighter was thrown across the ring. He struggled to lift himself off of the ground after the powerful blast. He rose to his feet before Skyler came rushing back towards him. She thrust her fist into his lower jaw, knocking him back down to the ground. He laid against the arena floor for a few moments before looking back up at Skyler weakly. She stepped on his chest, looking down at the former Sky knight, "Submit…" She commanded, as she lifted her hand up and created a fist, pulsing with energy once again, "Or else…"

"NO MERCY!" The crowd shouted, screaming down at Skyler, "FINISH HIM!"

"I surrender," He replied disdainfully, just before spitting on Skyler's feet. In a flash of light, the combatant disappeared, leaving only two members of the Sky Knight squadron left.

"And that's one down and out for team Flare!" The MC shouted, "Can the others pull this out of the bag and beat team Voleur?"

"Sssskyler!" Repton hissed, throwing one of the men down on to the arena floor, "Watch it with your damned powersss!"

"Shut it Repton!" Captain Scabulous growled, disarming his combatant, and throwing their weapon down to the ground. Scabulous pressed his blade to the neck of his combatant, "Surrender…" The fighter was silent. He nodded, noting Scabulous, firmly pressing the blade closer to his neck. In a flash of light, he then disappeared also.

"What an upset!" The MC then shouted, "That's two team members down! What is their last fighter going to do!" The last of the Third degree burners stood before Repton, who had his boomerang pointed towards the vastly outnumbered knight. Skyler and Scabulous walked up behind Repton, staring down the Sky Knight. The fighter let out a sigh, dropping his weapon in surrender, disappearing from the ring as well.

"And there you have it folks!" The MC then shouted, "In a matter of minuets the first fight of the tournament is over! It looks like team voleur might be the team to beat this year!"

"This doesn't make sense," Ace began watching as team voleur stepped out of the arena, "Why did they let them live?"

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Aerrow replied, turning to Ace, "That's what Cypress wants! For everybody to kill each other."

"Still…" Ace replied, watching as the match up screen began to flash behind the MC once again, "Something about that whole fight wasn't right."

"Let's see who our next competitors are!" The MC rallied as the crowd continued to cheer. The screen flashed once again as several faces appeared within the boxes. On the first side appeared the faces of Harrier and two other knights from the former Rex Guardians, on the other side appeared the faces of Meno, Cyrus, and Anaxagoras.

"Oh no…" Cyclonis began, looking up at the screen.

"This should be fun to watch," Skyler then began, passing through the contestant's staging area after exiting the arena, with her team in tow.

"Shut up Skyler," Ace snapped, leaning over the railing and looking down at the arena floor as the combatants stepped out into the ring.

"All I'm saying is not all teams are so merciful," Skyler replied darkly, before heading to her section of the staging area, "This should be a wakeup call for all of us."

"Fighters ready!" The MC called as Harrier and Meno shook hands.

"Aerrow," Piper began, turning to him, "You don't think that they would _actually_ kill anyone in this tournament…do you?"

"And begin!" The MC shouted, safely out of distance from the other fighters. Immediately upon saying so, Meno drew her blade and thrust it through the torso of the nearest combatant she could find. The nameless sky knight fell to the ground, gripping the hole Meno had created in his stomach so quickly and so suddenly as Harrier and the other guardian watched helplessly, along with Cyrus.

"Yes Piper…" Aerrow then replied, with a very frightened nod, as the now deceased corpse disappeared from the arena, "I think they would _actually _go so far as to kill someone…"

* * *

"That was one of the worst experiences of my life," Ace growled, as the exhausted, battered, and bruised combatants filed into the lowest most level of the arena. It was there where contestants who had already competed could rest prior to their next fight, along with a hospital wing located in the same area to heal any wounds for any still capable fighters.

"At least some of us placed," Junko shrugged, looking around the room, optimistically.

"True," Aerrow smiled, trying to avert the group from the tournament related casualty that had gone on earlier that day, "Sora, Starling, and The Dark Ace are moving on so that's something! Not to mention that Cyclonis, Finn, and Stork placed"

"It's too bad that only six teams were eliminated so far," Cyclonis then added, leaning against the wall, "That only leaves about oh…give or take several hundred that need to go before we can move on to round two."

"Speaking of teams that have yet to be eliminated," Starling stated, turning to Aerrow, Piper, and Junko, "This area is for fighters who have already competed to rest…not you three. Your names could appear on that screen at any time! And not showing up means you forfeit." She smiled, pushing the trio out of the room, "Back up to the arena with you!"

"Alright!" Aerrow began, "We're going! We're going!"

"Say," Sora began, turning to Cyclonis as the four then sat alone in the room, "Where are Finn and Stork anyway?"

"With Doctor Constantine," Cyclonis replied, "We managed to beat the Buff Buzzards, but one of them beat Finn pretty hard over the head, so the Doctor's taking a look at him."

"Well at least we made an impression on the other teams," Starling then added, sitting on one of the small beds in the room.

"True," Sora nodded, with a slight smile.

"Still," Ace then interrupted, "Some of these fighters are crazy…look at what one of those bastards from team voleur did to Sora's arm." Ace noted, nodding towards Sora's wrist, which appeared to have a large dark, almost black bruise covering her wrist and her hand.

"Oh that's no big deal," Sora began nervously, covering her hand then with her robe. Cyclonis looked to her curiously and moved to look at it before Sora swatted her away, "I said it was nothing!"

"Alright!" Cyclonis snapped, "I just think you might want to have Doctor Constantine check it out!"

"I will!" Sora snapped, "I mean…after she takes care of Finn…is all…"

"Whatever," Cyclonis replied, turning away from Sora, and turning back to Ace and Starling, "So I bet that Skyler and Scabulous were pretty pissed when you beat some of their team members."

"Repton was the one who looked angry," Starling stated, relishing the idea.

"As a matter of fact neither Skyler nor the Captain seemed upset to see part of their team go," Ace stated, looking to Starling, "Seeing as how they only have seven people left now."

"But that's good," Cyclonis began, looking optimistic, "At least we're winning fights for now."

"For now," Sora added, "Let's not build our hopes up. None of us have fought against anyone from the imperial team yet." She began, rising to her feet, "Just keep that in mind."

"Where are you going Sora?" Starling asked, looking to the teen.

"Back to the arena floor," Sora replied just before leaving the room, "The next fight should be starting soon."

"Come on Sora," Ace began, taking the girl's arm lightly, "You need to breathe…you put up a hard fight."

"I'll be fine," Sora replied with a slight smile as she brushed his hand away and headed out of the door.

"What's gotten into that girl?" Starling asked, as Ace laid down on one of the cots next to her.

"I don't know," He replied, with a slight shrug, "Puberty?"

"I think I'll go check on Finn and Stork," Cyclonis then stated after a few minuets of silence. She turned away and headed out of the door, leaving Ace and Starling alone in the room. The pair then sat alone in the room, watching a match between two unimportant teams on the screen hanging on the wall in the room. The teams appeared to be evenly matched, but matched up against anyone else and they would both be in trouble.

"Shaping up to be quite the tournament," Starling began, awkwardly, looking over to the Dark Ace. He said nothing, he just responded with a slight smile and a nod, "So…"

"Cloud's back," Ace began, completing her sentence for her, "I'm assuming that's what you wanted to say…"

"Not just now…" Starling replied, her eyes shifting throughout the room, "But at some point yes, I did want to talk about it."

"Then what did you want to talk about?" Ace asked, looking over to her.

"I'm confused Anteres," Starling began, "That's all."

"I have every intention of telling Cloud about what little that happened between us," Ace began, "And she'll be upset, but that's her prerogative. We haven't seen each other in years. I expected her to find someone else, so she should respect the fact that I may have found someone also." He added, turning to Starling.

"So does that mean…" Starling began, "…Are we exclusive?"

"…Do you want to be?" He asked.

"I think so," She replied, with a slight smile.

* * *

Meanwhile, down on the lowermost level of the arena, Doctor Constantine and Cloud, were busy tending to the needs of Finn and Stork. Cyclonis stepped into the large and somewhat empty hospital wing, although she imagined that the deeper they progressed into the first round, the more full it would become.

"Hello there miss Cyclonis," the Doctor began, wrapping a bandage firmly around Finn's head, "Are you in need of medical attention as well? Too bad for dear Finn. It looks like he wasn't so lucky."

"I'm alright," Cyclonis replied with a slight smile.

"If it wasn't for you," Cloud began, holding on to Stork's wrist as her hands began to glow a pale green, "Your team probably wouldn't have won."

"Please," Cyclonis replied modestly.

"I tried to tell you all," Stork began disdainfully, "I am not a fighter…"

"And no one holds anything against you for it," Doctor Constantine smiled, casually running her fingers through his dark hair as he gave her a slight smile.

"So how is Finn," Cyclonis nodded, noting that he was phasing in and out of consciousness.

"…where…who…am…are…you?" Finn grumbled, trying to stay conscious, although it was a feeble effort.

"At least he's talking," Doctor Constantine began with a slight shrug, "Although I doubt you're team again will be fighting for some time. We'll have Finn awake and in fighting condition soon enough! Don't you all worry."

It was at that moment, Finn let out a sharp groan as he gripped his side in pain and rolled over. Doctor Constantine then noticed his arm twitch, almost like a spasm. It wasn't too noticeable, but she did notice it. A look of fear and concern then washed over her face as she turned away from him to go about what she was doing, but the others in the room clearly noted her expression.

"Is everything all right Doctor Constantine?" Cloud asked, her face worried. The Doctor smiled at her, wiping away her look of worry almost immediately.

"Oh it's nothing," She replied, dismissing the druid, "Just me overly concerning myself as always."

"And there you have it!" The MC's voice shouted through the speakers of one of the monitors positioned in the hospital wing, "Team Queen of the former squadron, the Screaming Queens are moving up in this tournament! As for our next challengers," She began as the screen started to flash behind her, "Wouldn't you know it, it's the team that just can't catch a break yet in this tournament! It looks like it's going to be yet another group of contenders from team twilight versus underdog team duck!"

"Team duck?" Cyclonis asked, watching the tournament from the monitors within the hospital wing, "As in the rebel ducks?"

"So it would seem…" Doctor Constantine shrugged, looking up at the monitor.

"Who are they fighting against?" Cloud inquired, turning away from Stork and walking over to Cyclonis, looking up at the screen.

"Aru, Fontine, and Innes," Cyclonis replied, biting her nails, "No offense to anyone in that group, but they're going to loose."

"How can you be so sure?" Cloud replied with a slight, yet hopeful smile.

"They're going to loose…" Nova grumble disdainfully, meanwhile as the rest of their team watched from their seating area on the arena floor.

"Let's not give up hope," Aerrow began shaking his head at her.

"Aerrow," Leto began, looking down at the red-haired youth, "The tree of dem combined weigh 'bout ninety pounds soakin' wet…not ta mention det neva leave da ship. Ya got a pilot, a negotiator, and someone who be studyin' rocks all day fightin' against former sky knights…dis ain't gonna end well…"

"Fighters!" The MC called as Innes and Dove walked to the center of the ring and shook hands, "Are you ready!" They both walked to the opposite side of the floor, back to their teams, as the MC stood back up on her platform safely out of reach, "And fight!"

"You would not last ten zecondz on terra gale!" Dove shouted, waving her crystal spear at Fontine who was desperately trying to outrun her.

"Leave me alone!" Fontine cried, running away from Dove frantically, "Or I zwear I will turn around and give you zuch a zlap!"

"Zen do it you coward!" Dove shouted, still chasing after Fontine.

"Fontine!" Jean shouted from within the stands, "Turn around and face 'er! We are Du Mauriers! We do not run away zuch a manner!"

"So help me I will use this!" Innes cried, covering his eyes with one arm and swatting his sword wildly in every direction with the other. The Rebel Duck just stared at him with confusion, not sure if he should attack, or just let Innes wear himself out.

"Yeah you go get him Innes!" Aida cheered from within the stands, "Even though you kind of fail at it…you go get him anyway!"

"Okay this is the worst fight ever…" One of the audience members began to shout just as the rest of the audience began booing. It was at that moment when Fontine surrendered, and her image disappeared within a flash of white light.

Aru, who was locked in combat with another member of the team, rolled her eyes, and used her staff to throw the man across the arena floor. Dove turned and gave Aru a dark look, and Aru responded to her by giving her a playful smile as though saying: bring it on. The man Aru had just knocked down had tried to rise to his feet, but Aru had caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye. She thrust the end of her staff into his torso, knocking him out of the arena, and he too disappeared in a flash of light.

" Ow dare you!" Dove growled, taking her crystal spear in hand and pointing it towards Aru.

"You didn't think it was going to be that easy did you," Aru smiled playfully, speaking in her usually and airy sing-song voice. Thankfully, Aru's turn-around had re-sustained the audiences interest, and the booing had ceased. However, Innes was being pushed closer and closer to the edge while locked in his duel with the rebel duck.

"Innes look out!" Aerrow shouted from within the stands.

"Eek!" Innes squeaked, looking down over the edge of the arena, which seemed to drop off into nothing but a black abyss. He began to fall backwards, loosing his footing, and Innes tumbled out of the arena, disappearing in a flash of light.

"Don't give up Aru!" Sora called from the stands, "You can still win this thing!" It was at that moment when the audience began chanting things like: DOVE! DOVE! DOVE! DOVE! And so on, just as the sky knight and the other rebel duck surrounded the small and pale young woman.

Aru clutched her staff in her hand, listening to the audience chant her opponents name. She moved to lower her staff in surrender, and the other members of her team looked down at the floor in shame. However, just as she was about to place her staff on to the ground, she flipped it up into the air, knocking the end of her staff into Dove's jaw. She then thrust the end of her staff into the man's chest, causing him to fall back. A maneuver like this quickly won over the audience and had them soon cheering for Aru.

"I love dat girl…" Leto began, watching Aru fight admirably.

"Leto loves Aru mwah! Mwah! Mwha!" Nova mocked, making kissing noises at the tall blue troll.

"Oh this is so much fun!" Cypress began sitting in the owners box in the arena, comfortably watching the fights below her as he lieutenants sat by her side being pampered, "I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner!"

"With all due respect Master," Anaxagoras began, sitting down beside Cypress, "Why don't we just attack the Twilight Knight now while they're all here?"

"Patience Anaxagoras," Cypress smiled, holding up her reliquary and looking into it's smooth and dark green smoky surface, "I need time for my plan to unfold…"

"NO!" They then heard Dove shout, shifting their attention back to the arena, "I vill not looze zis fight!" Dove panted, holding her spear at the ready

"Then you'll have to get through me," Aru panted in reply. Both women were tried, but the audience was loving the fight each was putting up so far. They went on shouting cheers and such things as:

"Knock her lights out Dove!"

"Throw her outta the ring Aru!"

"Rip her to pieces!"

"Yeah right through the heart!"

"I need zis victory for my terra," Dove began as the two women's weapons clashed together, "Cyclonis deztroyed Gale years ago! Only Zypress can 'elp me to bring it back!"

"Is that what this is about?" Aru replied, very calmly, "You think by winning she's going to help you bring back Terra Gale?" Aru asked, pushing Dove away from her just long enough to try and reason with her, "Dove please…you were a Twilight Knight, if not for just a moment, you still were…listen when I say Cypress can't bring your terra back-"

"And neizer can your Advent!" Dove shouted, slamming the end of her spear down against Aru's skull, knocking her to the ground.

"ENOUGH!" Aru then shouted, getting the loudest anyone has ever heard her get ever, from upon the ground, knocking Dove out from under her feet with her staff, "Dove! You listen to me and you listen to me right now!" Aru squeaked, sitting upon Dove's back and restraining her hands as the crowd cheered even louder at the catfight, "You have no hope with Cypress! Trust me! No one wins. If you want me to withdraw…then…I will, but believe me when I tell you that if you're relying on Cypress' word, you're going to be very disappointed." Aru sighed, rising up off of Dove's back. Dove then rose to her feet, taking her spear in her hands.

"I don't take handouts!" Dove replied, holding her spear up towards Aru.

"Good," Aru replied with a slight smile as she took her staff.

"Hmm," Cypress thought, looking down at the fight as the two young women stayed locked in combat.

"What is it Master?" Meno asked, looking towards Cypress.

"Perhaps we've been overlooking our latest recruits," Cypress began, rather quietly, as just so Meno could hear her. Cypress' eyes looked in Carver's direction, who was standing on the opposite side of the owner's box, watching the fight, unenthused.

"Who did you have in mind," Meno replied, leaning in towards Cypress with a dark smile on her lips as she looked down at Aru and Dove.

"The Rebel from Gale," Cypress replied flatly, "Dove…was it? She has drive…and I like that."

It was at that point when the audience burst into a roar of cheers as Dove knocked Aru to the ground and stepped on her chest, pinning her to the ground. Dove smiled down at Aru arrogantly, crossing her arms with her spear still in her hands. Aru let out a sigh, as she bowed her head down, in defeat. Aru then disappeared from the arena in a flash of white light, and the eliminated members of Dove's team reappeared as the crowed cheered their victory.

"Excellent," Cypress smiled as the MC began gabbling into the microphone about the rebel duck's victory, "Meno…"

"Yes master," Meno smiled, turning to her.

"Go have a word with miss Dove," Cypress began quietly, looking up at Meno from her seat, "On my behalf of course."

"As you wish," Meno smiled, heading out of the owners box and heading down to the lower levels of the arena, where she would be sure to find the Rebel Ducks resting after their fight.

"What was that about?" Carver inquired, heading over to Cypress from across the room. It was apparent that both Anaxagoras and him were thinking the same thing, although Anaxagoras knew when to keep his mouth shut.

"None of your damn business Carver," Cypress replied with a cheerful smile. It was then when Cyrus and Anaximenes exchanged confused looks. Without a word to one another, Cyrus left the room to follow after Meno to see what she was up to, while he stayed behind.

* * *

"What a fight!" The MC shouted into the microphone, "I just hope that our next teams are just as feisty as Dove and Aru! Let's see who they are!"

"Indeed that was quite the match," the Doctor began, still watching from the monitors hanging within the hospital wing. By this time, Ace and Starling had joined them, as Dove and the Rebel Ducks were heading down before they were set to fight again.

"And it's Team Blizzaris versus Team Anu!" The MC called as she directed the crowd towards the screen behind her.

"Those are the Sky Knights from the Absolute zeroes," Starling began, staring up at the screen.

"Against a Rabkin team?" Cyclonis asked, raising an eyebrow, "Should be interesting."

"I do not need to be checked!" Dove snapped, as she entered into the hospital ward. Wren was behind her, shaking his fist angrily at his daughter.

"I vill not let yoo fight again untill yoo are fully examined!" Wren shouted as the other battered and bruised team members (courtesy of Aru) filed into the ward, "Zis is non negotiable!"

"Papa!" Dove snapped, crossing her arms, "I am not a child anymore!"

"If I may," The Doctor began with a smile, holding out her hand to Dove, "I'll give you a quick look over and if I don't see anything alarming, you're free to go."

"Fair enough," Dove replied with a slight smile, as the Doctor guided her across the room.

"Nope," Doctor Constantine began, checking reflexes, temperature, pulse, and vitals, "Other than that nasty bruise on your head you appear to be fine. How do you feel, and be honest."

"I feel just fine," Dove replied, heading away from the doctor, "Now I would like to go back and watch ze fights."

"How about watching them in the best seats in the house?" Meno asked, leaning against the doorframe of the hospital wing.

"What are you doing here?" The Dark Ace asked hatefully, standing at the front of the group.

"Get lost Meno," Starling added, standing up beside Ace.

"Oh Dark Ace," Meno began flirtatiously, "Believe it or not…I'm not here for you." She smiled, brushing her fingers through his hair as she walked by him and towards Dove.

"Don't you touch him!" Both Starling and Cloud shouted, staring down Meno as she let out a slight laugh.

"Come Dove," Meno began, with a smile, "Master Cypress was very taken by your fight and would love to meet you." Meno continued, placing her arms around Dove's shoulders and walking her out of the hospital wing before she could get the chance to fight.

"Now wait juzt a minut yoo scoundrel!" Wren shouted, jumping in front of Meno, "Dove will go vis who she choozez!"

"Please old man," Meno growled, pushing Wren out of her way and knocking him to the ground, "Dove's not you're little girl anymore…"

"Papa…" Dove began, turning her head around to look at the group as Meno practically dragged her out of the wing.

"Don't go after them," Doctor Constantine began, seizing the wrists of both Starling and Ace, who went to chase after Meno.

"Are you alright sir?" Cloud asked, helping Wren off of the ground.

"Ah oui ma chere!" Wren began, getting his bearings back, "Who was zat 'orrible creature who took away my precious Dove?"

"Her name's Meno," Starling began, turning to Wren, "She's Cypress' right hand woman…"

"Odds are if Cypress wants to talk to Dove," Cyclonis began, stroking the unconscious Finn's hair, "It can't be good."

"It's not," Cyrus began, stepping into the room.

"One surprise after another," Ace began, rolling his eyes, "What do you want Cyrus?"

"Don't be so harsh Dark Ace," Cyrus began, giving him a sharp look, "I'm here to pass along information. Cypress wants Dove, but for what, I don't know. To me it seems like she has multiple motives for this tournament…"

"What do you mean by that?" Ace asked, turning to her.

"Well, she's handpicking new lieutenants moron," Cyrus began, just before leaving the wing, "Pass the information along to Cresselia…she'll probably want to know that."

"What in the world-" Starling began, turning to the rest of the group just as Cyrus slammed the door behind her

"I don't know," Ace shrugged.

"Whatever that was about," Doctor Constantine began, placing her hands on Ace and Starling's shoulders, "Go pass along the information to Advent and Cresselia! Now! They'll want to know."

"And what an upset!" The voice of the MC then shouted through the monitor, "Suzi-Lu of Team Blizzaris pulled this match out of the fire and won the match!"

"Wow," Cyclonis began, turning her attention back to the screen, "I almost forgot about the match going on."

"If they're not from are team then we shouldn't care," Ace began, taking Starling's arm, "Let's go talk to Advent…now!" He began as the two of them rushed out of the hospital wing.

"Come on Stork," Cyclonis then began, turning to the Merb, "Let's head back up with the others, they're probably wondering what on Atmos is going on."

"I'm beginning to wonder that myself," Stork replied, jumping down of the examination table and following her out of the wing.

"Uhm Doctor Constantine," Cloud began, following the Doctor through the hospital wing as she went about her volunteer duties, "Has Anteres been acting different lately?"

"I haven't really noticed dear," Doctor Constantine began, "Although I've been so busy and he hasn't really been around much, why do you ask?"

"He's just been very distant," Cloud replied, sounding hurt, "I thought he would be happy to see me, but it's almost as though I don't exist…and he's been spending an awful lot of time with Starling and-"

"Don't you worry," Doctor Constantine interrupted, placing her finger on Cloud's lips, "Not another word about it! He's just distracted is all. And as for his budding _friendship_ with miss Starling, I'm sure it's just been a safety net. These have been trying times miss Cloud! Once the tournament dies down, talk to him, and I'm sure things will be all right."

"Do you think so?" Cloud asked, looking up at her.

"Of course I do," The Doctor smiled, giving her a nod.

"Thank you Doctor," Cloud began after several long moments of silence.

"Anytime," Doctor Constantine smiled, tussling Cloud's hair quickly before she rushed back to her business.

* * *

"It's time to bring out our next group of fighters!" The MC shouted into the microphone, "We've seen dozens and dozens of fights now that this day is reaching its end and moving into day number two of the Red Palace Tournament! And the matches just keep getting better! So let's see who's up next!" She called as she directed everyone's attention to the screen behind her. "Our last match of the night and it looks like it's going to be another group from Team Twilight versus Team Voleur."

"Again huh?" Nova asked, looking up at the screen.

"It looks like it's going to be the three of us this time," Aerrow began turning to Piper and Junko, "It's about time!"

"Thankfully you're not fighting against Skyler and Scabulous," Nympherious remarked snidely as the trio headed down to the arena floor, "I don't think the three of you would last."

"Just ignore him guys," Aerrow whispered as they headed down to the arena platform.

"Let's do this," Piper began confidently as they stepped on to the floor. Their opposing team headed towards them from across the platform.

"That's…one big group of guys…" Junko began, a little nervously as a towering wallop headed to the center of the ring to shake hands with Aerrow. There was also a burly, greenish-skinned troll, and a tall, but rather mangy looking blizzarian.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall right?" Piper asked, looking at the three men, who towered well over three feet above her head.

"Fighters ready!" The MC shouted, standing far out of reach from the other fighters, "And begin!"

"If we be takin' you out," The greenish troll began, looming over Aerrow, "De Captain and Skyler be rewardin' us."

"And we're pretty interested in collecting that reward," The blizzarian began, taking out a long and curved dagger.

"Pretty small targets if you ask me," The wallop began, looking down at the trio.

"These guys are just asking for it," Aerrow began, taking his twin blades in hand. He leapt after the wallop, moving too quickly for the lumbering combatant to keep track of him. Junko was locked in a grappling match with the hulking troll, where as Piper was kept on her heels, trying to keep the mangy blizzarian from sticking her with his dagger.

"So are you enjoying the fights Dove?" Cypress asked, as Dove sat at Cypress' right hand (much to many of her lieutenant's dismay), looking very uncomfortable, "They're quite entertaining."

"Ze matches are almost over for ze day," Dove then snapped, turning to face Cypress, "Why 'ave you called me 'ere!"

"How dare you speak to the Master in such a way!" Anaxagoras snapped, moving to backhand the rebel girl.

"Anaxagoras!" Cypress snapped, raising her hand to dismiss him, "Behave yourself! Dove is our guest here and after all, I do _owe_ her an explanation."

"V-very good," Dove then nodded, sounding confused and a little scared, "Zen by all means, get to explaining!"

"Leave us!" Cypress commanded, shooing everyone out of the room. Much to their own dismay, they all obliged. However, once the door closed, Meno pressed her ear against the surface, listening in on the conversation.

"Meno!" Anaxagoras snapped, pulling her away, "What if the Master catches you! She will consider it an impertinence."

"I could care less," Meno replied, rolling her eyes, and pressing her ear against the door once again.

"Now Dove," Cypress began, sitting down on the floor beside Dove's seat, "I have a very special offer for you."

"What kind of offer?" Dove asked suspiciously.

"I'm getting to it," Cypress replied with a slight smile, "It…isn't working out with some of my newer lieutenants, and I am looking for active replacements. I saw something in you today Dove that I simply just don't see in the other fighters. Your talents are being wasted my dear, in those silly rebel ducks, and being completely taken for granted by the twilight knights-"

"But zey are my friends," Dove interrupted, not swayed by Cypress' tactics.

"Friends they may be," Cypress smiled, rising to her feet, and lifting Dove's chin up as so she could force eye contact with her, "But only I can give you what it is you really want."

"You could not pozzibly know what I want!" Dove snapped, turning her face away.

"But I do," Cypress began, holding her reliquary up to Dove's eyes. The green haze floating within the glass began to swirl as an image of her old home on terra gale reappeared.

"Gale…" She began, looking into the reliquary.

"I can bring it back," Cypress began, "And restore it to the once proud and beautiful terra it once was. And all you have to do is one tiny little thing for me."

"You're lying!" Dove snapped, "I should 'ave listened to ze storm 'awks! And ze twilight knights for zat matter! You are a liar and a snake!"

"Oh Dove please!" Cypress growled, seizing Dove by the arms and forcing her to look out of the window and down on to the arena floor, "Look at them! The Twilight Knights are nothing more than a shoddily thrown together band of losers from all corners of Atmos! They're the rejects. The ones who weren't good enough for me…so they got stuck with my silly little sister." Cypress smiled as she and Dove looked down at the match going on below. Junko and Piper were struggling. However, Aerrow has the massive wallop on the ropes. The fighter swung at the red-haired young man, who quickly evaded the attack, causing the wallop to loose his footing. Aerrow seized the opportunity and kicked the wallop in the chest, causing him to fall backwards and out of the arena.

"Zey zeem to be doing just fine to me," Dove replied, turning to Cypress.

"They still can't give you a terra Dove," Cypress replied, "They can't give you your life back. And they can't make things go back to the way they were. All I ask is that you fight alongside me…that's all."

"BACK OFF!" Piper shouted from down on the arena floor, slamming her staff down against the skull of the blizzarian, causing him to fall unconscious, thus sending him out of the competition.

"Way to go Piper!" Sora and Nova shouted from the stands

"Face it mon!" The troll then spat, still grappling with Junko, "Ya ain't as good as ya friends! And as far as wallops go, ya be as weak as dey come!"

"Take…that…back!" Junko shouted, using all of his might to lift the troll up over his head. Junko then rushed to the edge of the arena, and hurled the massive troll over the side of the arena floor.

"Another stellar win for team twilight!" The MC called into the microphone, "They're shaping up to be quite the contenders in this tournament!"

"We lossst again!" Repton hissed, turning to Skyler and Scabulous from their seats in the arena, "How could our fightersss lossse!"

"Calm down Repton," Skyler growled, turning to the raptor, "We're not out of this tournament yet…We still have one more fighter up our sleeve." She stated, turning to a fighter sitting down beside Scabulous, wearing a dark burgundy cloak.

"Sadly ladies and gentleman this marks the end of today's fights!" The MC called through the microphone, "But you can bet we'll be back here tomorrow bright and early for tomorrow for the mayhem to begin all over again!" She rallied as the audience cheered and clapped.

"So," Cresselia began pulling Advent aside as Nova then began directing the team out of the arena, "What should we do about this alleged _recruitment _going on?"

"Nothing," Advent replied, crossing her arms and staring up at the owners box from the other side of the arena, "Because there's nothing we can do about it. If Dove decides to side with our sister, than so be it. But may the Gods have mercy on her soul should she disobey Cypress' will.

"I was hoping you wouldn't say something like that," Cresselia began, looking down at the ground.

"I am, however, going to have a little chat with Cyrus," Advent added, just before heading out of the Twilight Knights seating area and leaving Cresselia to her own devices, "I just hope I'm not too late…"

* * *

"So Dove," Cypress then began, "What will it be?" She asked, looking at the surface of her reliquary.

"My answer," Dove began with a sigh, as she rose to her feet, "Is no."

"No?" Cypress asked curiously, looking to Dove, "Oh…I get it. This is that whole, goody-goody sky knight routine…I hate to break this to you Dove. There are no more sky knights! They're all gone! If you haven't noticed, they're all fighting in this tournament for the chance to be one of my guards! Something I'm offering you right now you dumb girl! But fine! If you won't fight for me willingly, I'll make you…just like I do everyone else who doesn't come around." Cypress smiled darkly as she held the reliquary up to Dove's face.

"Get away from me!" Dove shouted as the artifact began to glow and Cypress began backing her into a corner.

"Not afraid of a little magic are we now Dove?" Cypress laughed, as a thin greenish smoke began to seep from the relic and twist it's way around Dove's face, enveloping her person. She let out a scream, but it was soon smothered as Dove's body fell to the ground, seemingly lifeless. A small bluish orb then lifted from her mouth and drifted into the air. Cypress captured it in the reliquary and clicked it shut once the glowing sphere was safely inside, "Funny how all souls manifest differently…hmm…"

Dove's body then began to move. She began to lift herself off of the floor, almost like a corpse come back to life. Her eyes were a sharp and toxic green and she looked at Cypress with a great respect and admiration.

"Thank you Master," Dove's body then spoke with a cold and soulless voice as she bowed before Cypress.

"Excellent," Cypress smiled, running her hands though Dove's dark hair, "And tell me, by what name do you go by creature?"

"Whatever you wish to call me Master," the Pseudo-Dove responded.

"I'll just call you minion then," Cypress began causally, "No sense in finding a new name for you and I'm not calling you Dove…too happy…"

"As you wish Master," Dove's body began, kneeling before Cypress, "I am humbly yours."

"Good," Cypress began, lifting her newly found mindless drone off of the ground, "Come with me then, I have much work for you to do." Cypress commanded. Unbeknownst to her, Cyrus had been watching the entire time. She headed down the passageways and through the inner workings of the arenas, trying to find someone, but who yet, she didn't know.

_Come on Anaximenes…Advent…Aerrow! Anyone!_ Cyrus thought as she rushed though the complex, _There has to be someone here! Anyone! Someone has to know about this!_

"Watch where you're going!" A voice then shouted as Cyrus collided with two figures, causing all three of them to fall back. She looked up and her heart skipped a beat.

"Nova! Snipe!" Cyrus shouted, looking up at the agitated couple, "I've never been so happy to- actually…I've never been happy to see you…Listen! Where is Advent? I have to speak with her! It's of the utmost-"

"HA!" Nova interrupted, "the only thing you'll be talking to Advent about is begging her for forgiveness once this whole war is over you dirty traitor!"

"Nova I'm serious!" Cyrus pleaded as Nova and Snipe began walking away.

"We're not buying it Cyrus," Snipe added as the two of them headed down the corridor, "Save it for someone who cares!"

_Damn it!_ Cyrus thought, _I have to find a way to get a hold of Advent!_

* * *

P.S. Hi guys, forgot to mention, I know it took a long time for this chapter to come out but keep in mind that this was the longest chapter in the book to date, so yeah, naturally, it was going to be a while before it was going to come out, it may be longer before the next one comes out. I am doing the best I can with updates. I may do the tournament chapters (future ones that is) in multiple parts, so who knows. anyway. enjoy. review. until next time! bye for now!


	44. Chapter 11: Round Two

_Hello! And welcome back to Inside Atmos! We're here live from the Terra city of Lumina, covering the one and only Red Palace Tournament! It's seven A.M here but you can't tell seeing as how the sun neither sets nor rises on this terra, but the competitors moving into day eight of this tournament, bringing with it round two!_

_Of the several hundred fighters primed to enter this tournament and after the many fights we've seen here this past week, the teams have been whittled down to just one hundred and twenty fighters! Or for all you mathematically challenged out there, forty teams that moved on. But for those of you who can't be here on Lumina City to see for yourself, Inside Atmos is here to give you the lowdown on the Red Palace Tournament!_

_Moving on to round two, some of our most notable contenders, we have two teams from Team Voleur, headed by Captain Scabulous and a newcomer named Noah. Headed by Dove, we have the underdogs, or should we say underducks, Team Ducks, and Headed by Suzi-Lu, Team Zero. Team Queen is moving on through the tournament fully, along with Team Aquos, headed by Tritonn._

_The entire imperial team will also be moving on through this tournament as well! Meno's Team along with Master Cypress' Team appear to be the teams to beat this year, although, another team may prove that quantity is indeed better than quality!_

_Team Twilight has a whopping eight teams competing in round two! Totaling at twenty three bodies, their team started out with twenty nine combatants! After their team suffering only one loss at the hands of the Rebel Ducks team, they've proven that team twilight is resilient!_

_It's shaping up to be quite the event! You've been watching Inside Atmos! Keep watching for more updates on the Red Palace Tournament and more!_

* * *

Chapter XI.

Round Two

"Is everyone ready for this?" Advent asked, turning to who remained in her team as they stood in a large hall, just outside of their team's box on the arena floor.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Nova replied, rolling her eyes as Advent gently pushed open the door, and they were greeted with the roar of the crowd.

"Anteres," A voice then whispered in the Dark Ace's ear as the others filed out of the door and into the team's staging area.

"What!" He snapped under his breath, looking all around him. He didn't see the ghost of Farrah, but it certainly was her voice, "Go away!"

"Listen to me!" Farrah hissed, "You're all in grave danger! You must drop out of this tournament immediately! I've been watching my mother-"

"Farrah," Ace whispered, "We've been in danger since day one…what makes today any different…now go away…"

"I mean it!" Her voice growled, echoing through his head, "It goes beyond the obligatory dangers of the tournament! My mother, she-"

"Enough!" Ace then shouted at the top of his lungs, commanding the attention of everyone in Team Twilight's box, "Leave me be! And go back to where you came from!"

"Good Heavens…" Advent finally began, after a few frightened moments of silence, everyone was staring at Ace with confusion, mostly because of the fact that he was presumably talking to no one, "Anteres who on earth are you talking to?" Advent demanded, looking him over like he was crazed.

"No one…" Ace replied, running his hand through his hair and looking down at the ground angrily. The group was still staring at him with fear and confusion to which he responded with a sharp and bitter, "What!" They all looked away from him immediately, and not a moment too soon, and the MC had stepped out on to her platform, just above the arena floor.

"Good morning Lumina City!" The MC shouted as an uproar of cheers erupted through the arena stands, "And welcome to Round two of the Red Palace Tournament! I'm sure you're all just itching to see some fights, but before we begin Her Royal Majesty, Empress Cypress has something she would like to announce!" The MC stated from upon her platform.

The crowd then became rather quiet as they began to murmur, looking to the MC's platform curiously. Cypress made her way down on to the arena floor, and up on to the platform. She smiled at the MC and took the microphone from her, waving to the audience as she did so.

"Good day to you all," Cypress began, "If all of our tournament hopefuls could please step out on to the arena floor." She began, instructing the fighters to do so.

"What are you up to?" Advent asked herself quietly as the one hundred and twenty fighters filed on to the floor.

"I've decided to mix things up a bit," Cypress stated a bit sinisterly, "I'm a bit…bored if you will, and as the benefactor of this tournament…I think I'm entitled to make a few adjustments."

"What? What does she mean! Adjustments? What kind of adjustments?" The audience and the fighters all began asking, looking around to one another in confusion. Even Cypress' own lieutenants looked confused, looking to one another as though someone on their team might know what was going on, but evidently, the only person who had a clue was Cypress.

"There will still be standard rounds of two versus two," Cypress began, her devious smile, unnerving every single face in the crowd, "However there will no longer be any teams. You will be placed into teams of two," Cypress began, pointing at the screen behind on her on the MC's platform, "…At random."

"…oh no…" Aerrow whispered. The audience's volume had been lowered to a dull roar, and the fighters were all silent.

"Is this some kind of joke!" Nova then shouted, being the only voice to make a sound out of the entire arena full of people.

It was then when the pale vision of a small girl appeared, sitting next to Ace. He noticed her out of the corner of his eye. He turned to the small girl and let out a long sigh. She gave him a look that said: _I told you so_, and he responded with a look that said: _I know…_

"What do you make of this?" Cresselia asked, quietly, walking up beside her time twin. Advent didn't spare her a look, she just kept her eyes fixated on her older sister.

"We fight in this tournament as planned," She announced aloud to the other Twilight Knights, "Fight to win and not to kill…regardless of who your team is, or who your opponent is."

"The line between friendship and greed has been drawn!" Cypress then shouted into the microphone, looking down at the fighters, "You may be fighting beside your enemies, and against your friends! Oh and get used to the first face you see next to yours on that screen, because that person is going to be your partner for the rest of round two! So ask yourselves, how badly do you want to win?" She began with a dark smile, turning away from the group and heading down off of the platform. She began walking towards her team, who looked stunned and confounded.

"Master Cypress!" Meno began, "You…you can't seriously…I mean…you're not splitting _us _apart…right master?"

"Oh Meno," Cypress began in a reassuring manner as she placed her hands on her shoulders, "Of course I am. You're apart of this tournament too." She smiled just before walking away, "But I best not speak with you too much…after all, in an hour or so you could be my opponent!" She smiled.

"This is bad," Anaximenes whispered in Cyrus' ear as the spectators and the combatants all began to shout in outrage or in excitement then after the announcement, "Cyrus what should we do. We can't protect the guardians if we're split up."

"We'll figure something out," Cyrus replied, looking up at the screen, "Although, I think we could kill Meno right in front of their eyes and they still would neither like or trust us."

"Okay!" The MC then called nervously, trying to take back control of the situation, "Then let's get underway with our first match of round two!"

The screen behind the MC began to flash as the two screens on each side flashed with the pictures of the different contestants. On the first side appeared two photographs of two members of the former rebel ducks. The two fighters breathed a sigh of relief as the pair looked to one another with relief. The second set of faces was a rabkin from Team Anu and a thug from one of the teams who barely passed on to the second round.

"Fighters ready!" The MC called, still standing safely on her platform, "And begin!"

* * *

_Welcome back to Inside Atmos! Bringing you news on the move, breaking stories from all across the Atmos! We're here live in Lumina City, covering round two of the Red Palace Tournament! We're now into day four of the second round and day eleven of the Tournament in whole. And what a tournament it's shaping up to be. The fighters have been proving their worth in the second round and with Master Cypress' change in the game, and for those of you watching at home, as you can see teamwork hasn't been exactly easy for these fighters._

_But sadly not everyone can move on to the preliminaries. After three grueling days of mismatched teams and one heck of a show, twenty teams remain and fourty fighters total. Now that we are entering into the fourth day, it is time to bring those twenty teams down to ten! And you know what that means folks, we're one day closer to the finals and the end of this tournament!_

_You've been watching Inside Atmos! Bringing you up to date coverage on all of the latest Red Palace Tournament news!_

* * *

"And welcome back everyone!" The MC shouted into the microphone. In truth, the fighters had been listening to her for the last eleven days, and her voice was starting to wane on their nerves, "It's day twelve of the Red Palace Tournament and wouldn't you know it, ladies and gentleman, we're down to twenty teams!" She called as the crowd roared with excitement, "This means that the preliminaries have begun, round two is almost over and the final round is just around the bend! I hope you're all excited because I know I am! Now if our contesting team will just look above me," She commanded gesturing all of the fighters on the arena floor to look at the screen above her, "We have already taken the liberty of setting up your matches for the next two days!

"Our first fight of the preliminaries will be Meno and Sora against the Twins Nevan and Neviaan!" The MC began as five sets of faces appeared on each side of the screen, "Followed by Starling and Aida versus Jean and Billy Rex, followed by Nova and Finn versus Junko and Zelkovitz, followed by Captain Scabulous and Noah versus Jynx and Tritonn, followed by Skyler and Aerrow versus Piper and Suzi Lu!" The MC concluded, barely taking a breath in between her announcements, "You will have twenty to convene with your team mates and prepare for your battle before the first match begins! Good luck to you all!"

"Alright pipsqueak," Meno began, seizing Sora by her old and battle worn robes, "I don't care if these losers happen to be your friends…I want to beat Carver and claim my rightful place as champion of the Red Palace Tournament. Understand!" She snapped, tugging at Sora's collar, "That means if you throw this match, I'll slit your throat on front of half the Atmos!"

"Trust me," Sora growled, pushing Meno away from her, "I won't lose. I got you this far didn't I!"

"Oooh, two matches," Meno teased, rolling her eyes at the sixteen year old, "Just follow my lead kid…"

"Poor Sora," Starling sighed, watching Meno literally push her around from across the way on the arena floor, "How awful…paired with that horrible creature!"

"Sora's going to be fine," Ace replied, turning to Starling, "As long as she's on a team with Meno, she won't harm her. But my question is…what are you going to do?" He asked, turning to Aerrow, Piper, Junko, and Finn.

"Well we have to fight each other," Piper began, as Aerrow took her by the hand. She smiled up at hi meekly. Aerrow then noticed Skyler out of the corner of his eye, giving him a sharp look, and he let go, much to Piper's dismay.

"I-I can't do it!" Junko exclaimed, bursting into tears as he slammed Finn's head into his chest and began hugging him as tightly as he could, "I can't fight you Finn buddy!"

"I…can't…breathe!" Finn gasped, trying to push free.

"Would all fighters please clear the arena floor!" The MC shouted into the microphone, "Our first preliminary match is about to begin!"

"Let's go kid," Meno began, dragging Sora up to the center of the arena floor by her wrist, "We've got a match to win."

"I can walk ya know!" Sora snapped, pushing Meno away from her, as the two of them headed into the center of the ring. It was there where they met with the two pale skinned, pale haired twins from the Twilight Knights

"Fighter's ready!" The MC called.

"Hope you two have enjoyed life," Meno smiled darkly, giving one of the twins a sly wink, setting both of them on edge.

"And fight!" the MC shouted. Meno drew her sword and moved to plunge it towards one of the petrified twins. Sora let out a yelp as she pushed Meno down to the ground. In shock, Meno released her grip on the blade as she went crashing to the ground, and the weapon went skidding across the arena floor.

"You bitch!" Meno screamed, pulling Sora to the ground by the roots of her hair.

"I don't believe this!" the MC shouted, "As it appears, Meno and Sora are now fighting one another instead of their opposing team!"

"What are we waiting for!" Neviaan growled, punching his brother in the arm, and lifting his halberd up to attack Meno, "Sora help us! Now she needs our help!"

"Indeed!" Nevan replied, taking hold of his broadsword, "Unhand her you wench!"

"Fine!" Meno screeched, throwing Sora back towards the twins, "You Twilight bastards want to fight against me! So be it! I can take all three of you!"

"What a turn of events!" The MC shouted, "Sora has turned against her own team mate in order to fight with her old team members!"

"If Sora beats Meno though," Piper though, as the others watched from their box in the stands, "She'll still have to fight against Neviaan and Nevan, alone!"

"That doesn't matter right now," Ace stated, turning to Piper, "Meno will kill all three of them given the chance. They should worry about keeping themselves safe."

"You're not getting away from me that easily!" Meno shouted, seizing Sora by the roots of her hair. She thrust her knee into Sora's abdomen, causing the teen to fall to the ground, gripping her sides in pain. Meno went to plunge her blade through Sora's back, but before she could, Neviaan took the end of his halberd and jabbed Meno in the back, knocking her down. She quickly rolled back up to her feet, but the moment she did so, she found herself locked in combat with Nevan and his broadsword. The pair's swords clashed, and Nevan was able to push Meno back towards the edge of the arena.

She teetered on the edge, and Nevan moved to strike at her as the audience cheered. However, Meno saw a flaw in his stance and took the first opening. She caught her blade within the handle of his and pulled upwards, causing Nevan to lose his balance, and disarming him. He fell to the ground, just barely hanging over the edge of the arena. Meno let out a cruel laugh as she kicked him in the face, then lifted him up by the collar of his uniform and then threw him over the side, where he disappeared in a flash of white light.

"Nevan!" His brother shouted, charging after Meno, the blade of his halberd, thrust towards her. However his weapon was large and slow, which gave Meno an advantage. Sora thought for a moment as she dashed towards the pair. She touched the dull, dying crystal in the pocket of her robes, debating if now would be a good time to use it.

_No,_ Sora thought, _No…I'll wait…_

"Kick her ass Neviaan!" Nova shouted from the stands. The pale man swung the halberd at the woman at the opportune moment, as the weapon collided with Meno's side, throwing her across the arena floor. She slid across the ground, still clutching tightly to her sword. She tried to get up, but before she could she found Sora's knee in her face. Meno seized her ankle and pulled the teen to the ground. She then seized hold of Sora's wrists and shoved her face into the ground.

"I should have done this a long time ago…" Meno growled, pushing roughly against Sora's head one last time before reaching for something strapped to her leg. She pulled a dagger from the holster at her side, and went to slit the teens throat. However, before she could make the cut, Sora heard a loud cracking noise, and Meno's eyes went glassy and she fell over, unconscious. Neviaan had cracked the handle of his halberd over her head, breaking his weapon, in the attempt to save Sora's life.

"I've got no weapon now," Neviaan stated, dropping the splintered item down at his feet before the teenager who was looking up at him with great respect and admiration, "So…I surrender."

"What an upset!" The MC began as Neviaan disappeared from the arena in a flash of light and two tournament officials carried Meno's unconscious body off of the arena floor, "Neviaan destroyed his own weapon and lost the match in order to save a member of the _opposite_ team, giving up his only shot at the finals! What a true sportsman! This means that Sora and Meno will be moving on."

"That's great!" Junko shouted, looking to the others, "Sora's going to the finals."

"Uh yeah," Stork began darkly, "But…so is Meno…"

"Meno is the least of our worries," Advent began casually, watching as the officials prepped the arena floor for the next match

"Our next match will start in thirty minuets!" the MC called over the speakers, "If our next fighters could please ready themselves and make their way to the arena floor!"

"You're up next," Ace began, turning to Starling, who smiled up at him, "Are you ready?"

"I've fought with Aida before," Starling began, rolling her eyes, "Besides, our opponents aren't too intense."

"I just want you to be careful," Ace replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Since when did you become so sensitive," Starling began with a slight smile. Ace gave her a weak smile back and opened his mouth as though to say something before being interrupted.

"Starling!" Aida shouted from across the way, "Get over here!" He continued, gesturing her to follow him. She let out a slight sigh as she stepped away from Ace to follow after his younger brother.

"Hello," Cloud began, walking up behind Ace once Starling was gone.

"Cloud," Ace started, turning to face her, "What are you doing up here? I though you were with Doctor Constantine?"

"I was," She replied, wringing her hands and looking down at the floor as she spoke, "So…uhm…could we perhaps…"

"Anteres!" Advent then called. He turned away from Cloud for a moment and noticed that Nova, Cresselia, and Aerrow were at her sides. The look on Advent's face was all he needed to know that it was important, "I need you…now."

"Can this wait," He replied, turning back to Cloud. Her ears drooped slightly as he walked away from her and headed with the small group.

"What's going on?" He asked, as the five headed through the corridors of the arena.

"Cypress wants to speak with us," Advent began, direly, not looking to any of them as they headed down the hallway, "About what, I don't know."

They headed down the hallway, past spectators who were trying to get back to their seats before the fight started, and to the elevator platform at the end of the hall. They stepped on, and the platform ascended to the topmost level of the arena, where they headed down yet another corridor. At the end of the passageway, was a set of large black doors, with two hulking nightcrawler sentries stationed out front. Immediately upon seeing the group, the sentries pulled open the doors. Without a word to one another, the group walked inside, where they found Cypress, standing alone inside of the owners box.

"Hello," She began pleasantly, "Please sit down…have a drink…" She smiled, gesturing them to the comfortable and luxurious seats within the room.

"What are you up to," Advent asked outright.

"Nothing," Cypress smiled deviously, "As always."

* * *

"Fighters ready!" The MC shouted as the crowd cheered, ready for the second fight of the preliminaries, "And begin!"

"You hosers don't stand a chance eh?" Billy Rex laughed, turning to Jean, who looked at him, rather confused.

"I do not underztand your acezent," Jean replied, scratching his head, "I thought we 'ad been over dis!"

"Wait…" Billy Rex replied, looking over to Jean, "…What?"

"Oh for god's sake…" Aida grumbled, rolling his eyes as a set of stilettos dropped into his hands from his sleeves, "Would you two shut up and fight already!" he shouted, launching the thin knives down at the feet of the two men as the audience cheered.

"Watch it eh!" Billy Rex shouted, taking his axe in hand.

"Sorry Jean," Starling shouted, leaping into the air and knocking the carrier mechanic to the ground, "Nothing personal."

"I am zorry too," Jean replied, quickly jumping to his feet. In that instant, Starling was knocked to the ground. The audience let out a loud gasp as she skidded against the arena floor, holding her hand against her eye. Jean had, in fact, just clubbed Starling in the face with a rather large engine wrench.

"Damn it!" Starling growled, now clutching her very black eye.

"Who fights with a monkey wrench?" Finn asked, turning to Junko sitting within the stands.

"Are you alright!" Aida exclaimed, but before he could even get an answer, Billy Rex came after him, swinging his axe down at the ground where he was standing. Aida jumped out of the way, just in the nick of time. He threw a stiletto in Billy's direction, just grazing the skin of the blizzarian's face.

"As it seems that Aida and Starling have their work cut out for them!" The MC began, as the fight continued to unfold, "They have agility on their side, but it's clear that Jean and Billy have strength!"

"Aida…" Starling began, as the pair stood, with their backs against the edge of the arena, "Our weapons are no match against theirs! What should we do."

"…I've got an idea," Aida exclaimed, turning to Starling as Jean and Billy rushed towards them, "But it's kind of crazy."

"I'm willing to try anything!" Starling shouted as Aida seized her wrist and they began rushing towards the two men, "What are you doing!"

"Just trust me!" Aida exclaimed, "When I say so, jump!" He shouted. The two teams were only a few feet from one another, and Jean and Billy lifted their weapons high above their heads to attack, "Starling NOW!" He shouted as the two leapt into the air. Both of them then landed on Billy and Jean's heads, taking them not only by surprise, but knocking them both to the ground when the pair rebounded off of them to leap higher into the air.

Aida then turned his body around in mid air and threw two stilettos down at Jean's wrists. The blade's pierced the fabric of his clothing, pinning him to the ground, and for good measure, Aida threw a second set at his ankles, pinning his legs as well. Starling then touched down to the ground and immediately kicked the engine wrench as far away from Jean as she could. She then turned to Billy, who was rising to his feet. Starling kicked him in the back, throwing him across the arena floor, causing him to collide with the wall on the other side, but not causing him to fall off. As Billy began to slide down the wall and into the abyss below the arena, Aida threw two stilettos at his wrists, catching his clothes on to the blades and pinning Billy against the wall.

"Hey!" Billy shouted, struggling to break free, "What the heck-" He shouted, just before disappearing in a flash of white light, indicating that he was out. Starling and Aida then turned to Jean, who also then disappeared in a flash of white light.

"Wow!" the MC shouted, "I didn't see that coming at all! Aida and Starling won and are moving on to the finals! How exciting!"

"Aida!" Starling exclaimed as the pair stood on the arena floor, "You did it!"

"We did it!" Aida laughed, as the pair hugged one another, "We're going to the finals!"

"Who knew Aida was such a good fighter," Snipe began with a shrug, looking to the others, "Never knew he had it in him."

"Well he is the Dark Ace's brother," Cyclonis replied casually.

* * *

"That was quite the match," Cypress smiled, turning to the others in the room, "Wouldn't you say sister? And Anteres, your brother has some skill!"

"Spare us the pleasantries Cypress," Advent snapped, crossing her arms, "What do you want with us?"

"Yeah," Nova growled, cutting into the conversation, "Because in case you haven't noticed, "I have to be down at the arena floor in the next thirty minuets for my fight…so make it quick."

"Alright," Cypress began with a dark little smile, "Then I'll be quick and blunt. I want you and your teams to drop out of the tournament."

"Are you insane!" Ace exclaimed.

"A little," Cypress replied with a smile.

"Why on Atmos would we do that!" Cresselia replied, crossing her arms.

"Because I will give the resistance the full tournament prize for removing themselves," Cypress stated, "All you have to do is surrender in front of all Atmos today."

"What's your angle?" Advent demanded.

"No angle," Cypress stated, "It's just that it's rather important to Carver that he keep his title as champion of the red palace tournament is all, and you know that I wouldn't want to upset my lieutenants. You know how that is…right Advent?"

"I don't buy it," Nova growled.

"Neither do I," Ace snapped, giving Cypress the cold shoulder.

"And the same applies to me," Advent replied, rising to her feet as the others did so as well, "I'm sorry dear sister, but we must decline your request. The rest of us will fight in this tournament as scheduled." She stated just as they all turned to leave the room.

_Fine, _Cypress thought, gripping her reliquary, _No matter, we can do this the easy way or the hard way…_

* * *

**[Message from KC]:** Hello everyone! I am back! I just have a couple of things that I would like to say. Yes I took your advice from the reviews and there is another chapter coming so yes, there is a part II to this chapter! Anyway. Uhm, I'm sorry about the late update, I started back my sophomore year of college two days ago and I have been swamped. not to mention work hads been a bitch. so please forgive me if I haven't been quick with my updates. Anyway. thank you to all of you who have been reviewing regularly. It really does keep me going when I just am feeling cruddy and when I do feel like giving up on this project :3 I really do appreciate it! So anyway. Bye for now and I will try and get the next part to this chapter up as soon as possible.


	45. Chapter 11: Round Two, Part II

Chapter XI

Round Two (Part II)

"I don't want to do this," Finn began, looking down at the ground, standing on the platform just outside of the arena floor.

"I understand he's your best friend," Nova began, pulling her guns from her holsters, "But if that's the case Finn, if you can't fight him, maybe you should just withdraw…"

"No!" Finn shouted, defending himself, "I can do it! I can fight! It's just…"

"I understand," Nova replied, laughing slightly, and rolling her eyes.

"Well could you fight Leto!" Finn snapped, "Or Advent!" It remained silent between the two of them for a few moments and Nova let out a long sigh. She put her hand on Finn's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," She replied, "I didn't realize how hard this would be…for you that is…"

"Would the fighters please make their way to the arena floor!" they heard the MC shout. Nova turned to Finn and the pair headed out of the corridor and in to the crowded arena, where they were met with the screams of the ecstatic audience.

"Let's do this then," Nova sighed, heading into the center of the arena. She and Zelkovitz shook hands as Finn and Junko exchanged looks.

"Fighters ready!" The MC shouted, "And begin!"

"Sorry Zelkovitz," Nova sighed, as she lifted her gun up towards the woman opposite her, "It's nothing personal."

"Likewise Nova," Zelkovitz replied as Nova pulled the trigger and a shot fired from the barrel of the gun. Zelkovitz lifted up her arms, protecting her face, and the metal sphere that went charging towards her ricocheted off of her arm blades and went flying back towards Nova. The bullet clipped past Nova's forearm, leaving a hot burn mark, but not breaking her skin.

"Alright," Nova snapped, taking the second gun from her holster, "You wanna play hardball Zelkovitz…we'll play hardball."

"A little unfair though," Zelkovitz shouted, rushing up towards Nova. She went to plunge one of her arm blades through the Valkyrie, but Nova ducked out of the way, just missing the impact of the blade, "Bringing a gun to a knife fight!"

"Geeze Zelkovitz!" Nova growled, getting behind her, and restraining her by her arms, "What's your problem!"

"They've taken Matteo!" Zelkovitz growled, struggling to break free from Nova, "I need to win this to save him!"

"Zelkovitz!" Nova growled, gripping her tighter, "You know we'll save him regardless if you win or not!"

"You just want to make it to the finals so you can fight Cyrus!" Zelkovitz growled, banging the back of her head against Nova's face, causing her to let go.

"As it would appear," The MC then shouted, "Nova and Zelkovitz are the only two fighting against one another in this match! Finn and Junko don't seem to be doing anything!" She began, as it was noted that all the two boys were doing was circling each other, delaying the inevitable.

"Hit each other already!" The audience shouted, as Finn and Junko looked to one another nervously.

"They're going to have to fight one another at some point!" The MC shouted, "Or else they'll both be disqualified!"

"What if we just surrender to each other?" Finn suggested sheepishly. But it was then when he noticed Nova and Zelkovitz hanging over the edge of the arena, which, everyone knew what that meant. Zelkovitz seized Nova by the shoulders and moved to push her off, when Nova managed to get an arm free. She took hold of one of her guns and pointed it in Zelkovitz' face, and she released her grip on Nova and took a step away. Nova smirked confidently and went to pull the trigger, but before she could, Zelkovitz dropped to the ground, thrusting her leg outward and around in a circular motion, kicking Nova out from under her feet. She then kicked the Valkyrie in the face and sent her over the ledge of the arena. Zelkovitz then turned to Finn, as he was her next target, but before she could even rush towards him, a had wrapped around her ankle. Nova was clinging to the arena ledge, and with all her might, she pulled Zelkovitz over the side, and as she fell, she disappeared within a flash of light. Unfortunately, doing so, also had caused Nova to fall.

"It looks like both Nova and Zelkovitz are out!" The MC shouted with much enthusiasm and excitement in her voice, "The team who moves on to the finals will be determined by who can be the last man standing now!"

"Oh no!" Piper gasped, watching from up in the stands, "Poor Finn and Junko!"

"They look so scared," Sora added, watching the fights beside her.

"But we're getting to this point now," Aerrow stated sadly, "We're going to have to fight each other," He added, turning to Piper, "Whether we like it or not…"

"Sorry dude," Finn began, taking the crossbow from off of his back, "But Nova would kill me if I just gave up."

"I'm sorry too…" Junko replied, letting his ears droop down.

"Listen Junko," Finn began, obviously forgetting they were in a fight, "But this is someth-" He tried to continue, before being knocked down to the ground. The audience gasped as Finn tried to pick himself up. He looked over to Junko who crossed his arms at him.

"Just because you're my best friend doesn't mean I'm just going to _let _you win," Junko replied honestly. Finn brushed the blood away from the corner of his mouth and touched the large, newly blackened patch of skin on his face where Junko had struck him and jumped to his feet, pulling the trigger on his crossbow as he did so. An arrow went flying through the air and whirring just barely past Junko's nose then higher above him. He looked down at Finn, slightly surprised, and Finn responded to him with an angry look on his face that read: challenge accepted.

Although, Junko was a lot stronger, Finn was much faster. He thrust his fist down towards the small blonde, but Finn was able, to leap out of the way and dash across the arena floor even before Junko could make contact with the ground. The wallop then turned to him and began to charge. Finn panicked for a moment, but took an arrow from his quiver and threw it into his crossbow. He fired at Junko, not to hit, but just as a warning shot. The arrow went flying past his ear, but he continued to run.

_Think Finn!_ He thought, running away from the charging wallop, all the way to the edge of the ring, _What do I do now!_ Without another thought, He fired an arrow towards the arena wall, hanging over the seemingly endless fall into defeat. The arrow plunged into the side and Finn jumped, just as Junko reached the edge of the arena floor. He skidded to a halt as Finn flew through the air, outstretching his arm so he could get a hold of the embedded arrow.

"WOAH!" Junko gasped, sliding to a halt as he reached the edge of the platform.

"Way to think on your feet Finn!" Cyclonis shouted from the stands.

"But how is he going to get back down to the arena?" Ace asked. Everyone then got very quiet, thinking for a moment.

"Give it up Junko!" Finn demanded, "You don't stand a chance!"

"Uhm…Finn…" Junko replied, raising an eyebrow, "You're kidding right?" He asked, looking over to his best friend, who was hanging lazily off of the wall.

"I'm not," Finn replied sternly, "You can't reach me from over here! But I can reach you!" Finn replied, firing another arrow, this one, just barely missing Junko's feet, "I promise the next one won't miss!" However, Junko didn't back down. He stood his ground, and much to Finn's dismay, he gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and fired another arrow, while still hanging from the wall. This time, it didn't miss. And with a flash of white light, Junko disappeared from the ring and Nova re-appeared.

"Finn!" Nova shouted, with an impressed smile across her face, "I don't believe it!"

"Neither do I!" Finn replied nervously, still hanging from the wall.

"Oh wow," Starling began, turning to the others, "I'll admit I thought Finn was crazy for a moment…but what a strategy."

"Perhaps he's been underestimated," Ravess added, watching the fight curiously.

"Wow!" The MC shouted, with her annoyingly chipper voice, "What a fight! Congratulations to Nova and Finn who are moving on to the finals! Our next fight will start in twenty minuets! If our fighters could please make their way down to the arena floor!"

"Hey Jynx!" Piper called just as the rabkin began to make her way out of the stands, "Good luck to you and Tritonn today in your match!"

"I don't need luck!" Jynx smiled confidently, flexing her arms, "You're looking at a pure bread terra Anu Rabkin here! I can't loose!"

"So wait," Aerrow asked, standing alongside the Dark Ace in the stands, "Who's the fighting against Jynx and Tritonn?"

"Captain Scabulous and another from their team named Noah," The Dark Ace replied, looking forward and seemingly into space, "I can't shake this weird feeling though."

"About this tournament?" Aerrow asked with a slight sigh.

"No," Ace replied flatly, "About that other fighter…does anyone else remember someone named Noah fighting on team Voleur in round one? I don't…"

The next twenty minuets seemed to last for hours as they waited for the next group of teams to head out on to the arena floor. The crowd then started to scream and cheer and the other fighters sitting in their personal seating boxes perked up as the two teams stepped on to the platforms which carried them across the seemingly endless chasm below and surrounding the arena floor.

"Fighters ready!" The MC shouted as the four combatants walked out on to the field. Jynx and Captain Scabulous shook hands, Jynx smirked arrogantly, where as the Captain did not look amused. Beside him stood what looked like a pale and thin young woman, hiding under a black cloak.

"You would be best to just give up where you stand," Captain Scabulous began, looking over Jynx.

"Please," The Rabkin replied, scoffing at the raider, "You don't stand a chance." He didn't say anything in response, the two just waited for the MC to shout:

"FIGHT!" No sooner than the Master of Ceremonies made the call, the cloaked woman stood in front of the captain as Jynx and Tritonn leapt towards them, holding her hands up to her chest, almost in prayer, but slightly cupped. A glowing circle appeared on her chest and in between the space where she held her hands appeared a small, dark violet light. The light then expanded as a violent wind whipped through the air, and the small light turned into an explosion which filled the entire arena with kicked up dust and a dark light. Once the light dissipated, the cloaked woman and the captain were all that remained.

"What the hell was that!" Carver exclaimed, looking panicked as he and the rest if the imperial team sat within Cypress' personal box, watching the fights from below.

"Breath Carver," Cyrus stated darkly "No doubt you've ever seen a technique like that before…"

"What are you talking about?" Carver demanded, turning to Cyrus.

"Simple enough," Cypress stated, interrupting the both of them, "She liquefied the air around the symbol, reduced it's volume, and then vaporized it again, producing the blast you saw. The light cam from the extreme energy and heat produced from the catalyzed reaction that was forced into compression to maintain entropy…"

"What?" Carver replied, not understanding a word Cypress had just said.

"You were able to deduce all of that just by looking Master?" Anaxagoras inquired, sounding rather impressed..

"Deduce what!" Carver shouted, still sounding completely lost.

"You really are that thick aren't you?" Meno snapped, turning to the Red Palace Champion, "That woman is a Symbologist."

"But that's not possible!" Carver shouted, turning to Cypress.

"No," Cypress nodded, "At least, it's not supposed to be."

* * *

_And welcome back to Inside Atmos! Bringing you all of the breaking news on the Red Palace tournament! Our last fight was quite the match! Alveida Jynx of the Twilight Knights and Tritonn of the Neck Deeps versus Captain Scabulous of the Murk Raiders and a mysterious new fighter named Noah! Where did this mystery fighter come from? No one seems to have any clue! And more importantly what is this strange new power that she seems to have? We'll find out soon enough! And I hope our next match will be just as enthralling! I've been Stormy Skies and you've been watching Inside Atmos!_

* * *

"Our last match of the day begins in five minuets!" The MC shouted into the microphone, "Would our next teams please make their way to the arena floor!"

"Don't be nervous Piper," Suzi Lu smiled, placing her hand on Piper's shoulder as the stepped on to the platform which would carry them out on to the floor, "We can handle this eh?"

"It's not the fighting I'm worried about," Piper replied with a weak smile, "It's fighting _Aerrow_ I'm worried about."

"Okay so," Suzi began, scratching her head, "I might not have had to fight any of my friends but…"

"Thanks Suzi," Piper smiled, "But I think it's a little late for the pep talk…let's just go out there and do the best we can!"

"Right!" Suzi nodded, "Aerrow might be our friend, but Skyler sure ain't! Let's show 'em eh!" Suzi began as the platform moved across the air, and connected with the arena floor. Piper and Suzi stepped off just as Aerrow and Skyler did so on the opposite side of the arena floor.

"Remember what I told you," Skyler began sternly, walking out on to the floor, "Just because she's your girlfriend doesn't make her your opponent at this moment…you deal with the blizzarian, and I'll deal with Piper."

"You hurt her Skyler and I swear…" Aerrow began, seizing her by the shoulder before they met the other team within the center of the ring.

"Relax," Skyler growled, pushing Aerrow gently away from her, "You and I both know that Your little girlfriend and this dim-witted blizzarian happen to be the last two people I _want _to fight in this tournament…" She stated, casually glancing up at the Twilight Knight's box. Her eyes met with the Dark Ace's if just for a moment before she turned to face her opposing team, "I only have one opponent that I wish to face…"

"Fighters, are you ready?" The MC called as Aerrow and Suzi Lu shook hands, "And begin!"

"Sorry Aerrow," Skyler began, dashing away from the red-haired youth and heading towards Piper.

"Eek!" Piper shouted, holding her staff up vertically and pushing it against Skyler before she could attack Piper. Skyler touched back down on to the ground. The moment she did so, she snapped her fingers and her arm began to pulse with red electricity.

"Piper run!" Aerrow shouted, his twin blades locked against Suzi's staff. Piper followed his instructions and headed as far away from Skyler as she could.

"Get away from me!" Piper growled, locking the crystal Sora had given her into her staff. She went to launch her attack at Skyler, but as a bolt of yellowish energy went dashing through the air towards the wild woman, she smirked at the girl.

"Too slow," Skyler smiled, ducking out of the way of the attack. She extended her arm out towards Piper and snapped her fingers. The energy building up in her arm, burst fourth from her fingertips and a large red blast went hurling towards Piper, she tried to duck out of the way, but ended up getting caught in the residual blast. Unfortunately, Piper was hurt pretty badly, and Skyler had also destroyed a good portion of the arena.

"Damn that woman!" Repton hissed from within team Voleur's box, "Skyler's going to blow up the arena before we can even get to the finalsss! Not even Noah is that dessstructive!" Captain Scabulous dismissed him with nothing more than an irritated growl (in truth, the captain didn't like it at all when people bad-mouthed Skyler).

"Skyler's brand of Runeology is more powerful than you could comprehend," The cloaked woman known as Noah stated, "It's a shame we don't get to see it in action more often."

"Ah…" Repton began, turning to the cloaked woman, "It sssspeaksss!" She said nothing in response, and the raptor rolled his eyes at her. Meanwhile, a discussion of another kind was going on in Cypress' box.

"It's a shame that Skyler had to have part of her soul left," Anaxagoras began, looking down at the fight lethargically, "She's got such a spirit to her."

"Perhaps it was for the best though," Meno laughed, leaning against a nearby wall, "That woman takes the term _loose canon_ to a new extreme."

"She used to be on _our _side?" Carver inquired, sounding interested.

"Yeah," Meno scoffed, dismissing him and his worth, "You were her _on the quick_ replacement…"

"Watch it Meno!" Carver growled, turning around to face the shape shifter.

"Wait a moment," Cyrus interjected, as everyone turned their attention to her, "Master Cypress? Where did she go?"

"She was just in here a moment ago," Anaximenes replied with a shrug, looking quite confused.

"She stepped out for a moment…" Dove began in a cold voice, her eyes flickering with an impish deviance as she spoke, "She's going down to the arena floor…"

"Oh…" Cyrus began, shivering as the Pseudo-Dove spoke, "Alright then." Truthfully speaking, none of Cypress' current lieutenants liked 'Dove' being in their presence. They all knew that Cypress had done something to her to alter her (only Cyrus and Anaximenes knew the truth) but it still didn't stop them from being completely bothered by the cold creature's presence.

"Stop the match!" They all then heard Cypress shout as she walked on to the MC's platform. The audience booed as Cypress shouted these words, after all, Skyler blowing up half of the arena was the most excitement they had had all day.

"What?" Advent gasped, looking over the edge of the team's box and down at the MC's platform, "What's she doing!"

"M-master Cypress?" The MC began nervously as she handed over the microphone to the empress, "What ever is the matter?"

"I am ceasing this match by decree of Atmosian law!" Cypress growled into the microphone, "All parties…drop your weapons…now!"

"We need to help them," Ace began, drawing his sword.

"No," Advent replied, holding him back, "We wait…see what she's up to first."

"Piper of the Storm Hawks," Cypress began, addressing her personally. Piper looked slightly horrified, and was wondering what in the world she had done, "You are hereby in violation with the ordinance of the anti-crystal act of the New Atmosian convention!"

"What?" Piper asked, looking scared and completely confused at the same time.

"That crystal," Cypress growled, pointing down to it, "Nearly dead or not…is forbidden…regardless if Lumina City is neutral or not, it still falls under universal law. Because of your insolence, you and your team mate are hereby disqualified from this tournament, making Aerrow and Skyler the winners by default."

"You can't do tha-" Suzi Lu began angrily, but before she could even finish, she and Piper disappeared from the arena platform in a flash of white light.

"And as for you…Skyler, the Sky Knight Killer…" Cypress growled, turning to the now furious woman standing amidst the ruined arena ring, "You'd be wise not to do so much damage to my arena again…lest you be disqualified as well…This concludes the preliminary matches for today! I hope that there are no more _interruptions_ such as this during the fights again…Good evening to you all, and to the fighters…good luck tomorrow."

"What the hell was that about!" Nova growled, "And where in Jevanni's name did Piper get that crystal?"

"I don't know," Advent growled, "But I'm going to find out!"

* * *

_Welcome back to Inside Atmos! Bringing you all of the to-the-minuet coverage of the Red Palace Tournament! Yesterday's fights were something to behold and we've just received confirmation on our fights for today! Starting us off will be The Dark Ace and Repton versus Jean-Luc and Antoine of the Rebel Ducks, followed by Master Cypress and Anaxagoras of the Imperial Team versus Cresselia and Cyclonis of the Twilight Knights, then Stork and Dove versus Nympherious and Victor of team Twilight! Following that we have Ravess and Leto of Team Twilight versus Keida and Rowen of the Screaming Queens! And wrapping up with our last fight of the preliminaries, is Advent and Snipe of Team Twilight versus Cyrus and Anaximenes of the Imperial team!_

_The crowd is just buzzing with excitement outside here at the Lumina City arena and we all can't wait for the fights to start in just a few hours! After all, we're only a day away from the Red Palace Tournament finals and the thrilling final match between the champion contender and our current champion Carver! Will someone de-throne the ten-year tyrant or will he go on as the title-holder for year eleven? You'll just have to keep watching Inside Atmos for all of your Red Palace Tournament updates! I've been Stormy Skies and this has been Inside Atmos!_

* * *

"Sora what the hell were you thinking!" Nova shouted as the team convened in the lower levels of the arena in the hospital wing, just a few hours before the second round was set to start, "How long have you had these crystals!"

"What does it matter?" Sora shouted, rising to her feet, "Half of them are duds anyway! I only gave the ones that worked to Piper and Cyclonis! To give them a fighting chance in this tournament."

"Here mother," Cyclonis began, handing the crystal Sora had given her to her Advent, "If you really think that it'll just bring us trouble-"

"I think your intentions were noble," Advent began, turning to Sora, "I just wish you would have discussed this with me first."

"I'm sorry," Sora replied, looking down at the ground, "I was just trying to help."

"It's alright," Advent smiled, "As for the rest of you," She smiled, turning to her vastly diminished team, "It's time to move on to the finals!"

"Yeah!" Finn shouted, as Cloud tended to the nasty bruise on his face that Junko had given to him, "Give 'em hell you guys!"

"I wish you all the best of luck!" Doctor Constantine chimed as the others began filing up the stairs and back to their team's box, "Oh…Stork…" She called, just before the merb left the wing, "Do be careful out there."

"Yeah Stork…" Nympherious laughed, pushing Stork roughly as he walked by, "be careful out there…"

"Kick his ass Stork," Aida added quietly, passing by him and the doctor just before leaving.

"I so don't want to do this…" Stork grumbled, looking down at the ground.

"At least you're not going first," Doctor Constantine replied with a slight laugh. Stork looked up at her with a slight laugh as he rolled his eyes, "I know…it still doesn't make it any better…"

"Oh my goodness!" Cloud chimed, "I almost forgot! I wanted to wish Anteres good luck before he went to fight." She began, rushing away from Finn and heading out into the hallway. However, it was there where she saw Ace, with Starling, and it seemed to her that Starling was giving him enough _luck_ for the both of them. Cloud scoffed, obviously, they didn't see her, seeing as how they were too busy swapping saliva.

"Cloud dear," The Doctor began as Cloud stormed back into the room, "I thought you were-"

"Never mind!" Cloud growled, moving back to tend to Finn's large bruise.

"What was that about?" Stork asked, raising an eyebrow. The Doctor just sighed and shrugged.

"Well you should go up with the others…" She began, looking down at the floor, "But…well…good luck…" She smiled, just before kissing the merb on the cheek. Stork gave her a meek smile back just before leaving the room, and Cloud glared at the both of them angrily and enviously.

"Something you wanna talk about," Finn asked as Cloud shoved the cold compress against his bruise violently.

"No…" Cloud grumbled, staring angrily off into space.

"Uhm…" Finn began, trying to avoid telling Cloud that she was hurting him, "Are you sure-"

"I'm gone for not even two years!" Cloud exclaimed, "And he just moves on to someone else! I mean what am I! Just a throw away! Seriously! I feel so used!"

"Okay…" Finn began, having no idea what she was talking about, and admittedly kind of frightened of her at the moment.

"Sounds like someone's a little mad?" Carver cooed, standing in the doorframe of the hospital wing.

"Oh great!" Cloud then shouted, practically throwing Finn out if her hands, "Now YOU'RE here! Why doesn't Meno just come down here too! That would just make my day so much more fantastic! So what do you want Carver! Please tell me! I am just dying to know!"

"…You know you're pretty cute when you're angry," He stated after a few moments of silence.

"I swear to the gods above I will _cut you_…" Cloud hissed, letting her claws come out, "Now…what…do…you…want!"

"I'm only here to extend an invitation," Carver replied with a sly smile.

"On behalf of?" Cloud asked contemptuously, crossing her arms.

"Myself," He replied. Without a word, Cloud dismissed him and began walking away, "Cloud!" he snapped, following after her, "Hear me out!"

"What!" She snapped, turning back to him, "What do you want from me! And why in the world would I do it anyway! After…what you _tried _to do…"

"I was stupid," Carver replied. Cloud responded with a look that said: you think? "All I'm asking is that we watch the fights. Just you and I…that's all."

"No," Cloud replied, crossing her arms, "That is…On two conditions."

"Fine," Carver replied, with a victorious look across his face.

"First," Cloud began, "Someone is to accompany us…of my choosing…"

"…Fine…" Carver replied, reluctantly.

"And secondly I want you to get down on you hands and knees and beg for my forgiveness for assaulting me," Cloud stated, in all seriousness.

"…you're joking?" Carver replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Cloud replied, tapping her foot and waiting for the begging to commence.

"Cloud…" Carver began, trying to reason with her.

"Knees…" Cloud replied, crossing her arms and giving him a deviant smile, "Get on them…"

* * *

Btw! That last line is IN FACT a sex joke! MUHAHAHA I'M SO FUNNEH!

**[Message from Your favorite Storm Hawks Fan Fiction writer evaaaarrr! (lol…probably not…)]:** anyway I'm BACK…so this chapter part two of three of the second round. Sorry guys…just one more chapter till the finals…sorry…we're almost there… And there is going to be next to no plot progression other than: Hey, we have to get through eight fights so we can move on to the finals! mk'ay! Plus, all this fighting makes up for all the fighting that kinda never really happened in the first book :/ OH OH OH! If you haven't stopped by my deviantArt page recently please do so and read the journal entry there. I want to do a regiment of Twilight contest, but I would like to know if there is interest for it first :3 so please drop by and leave a comment on my page or on the journal. I know some of you already have, but of you haven't, if you are interested, that'd be awesome :3 Enjoi!

BTW: Hey yeah, Regiment of Twilight: Overture has been updated twice since the last chapter update of this story so if you haven't done so, stop by and give it a read :P


	46. Chapter 11: Round Two, Part III

Chapter XI.

Round Two (Part III)

"You'd better not ssscrew thisss up Dark Accce!" Repton growled as the two men stepped on to the arena floor.

"Just try and keep up with me…" Ace replied contemptuously, rolling his eyes as they walked to the center of the arena floor.

"Fighters! Are you ready!" The MC shouted, as the crowd cheered, and the four men drew their weapons, waiting for the MC's call, "And fight!"

"Come on Dark Ace!" Sora shouted from the stands.

"Go Anteres!" Starling called, right behind her.

"OH!" The MC shouted into the microphone, just as one of the rebel ducks knocked Ace to the ground, "That looked like it had to hurt!"

"I thought we were supposed to be working as a team!" Ace snapped, jumping to his feet as he turned to the Raptor.

"Hardly," Repton growled, throwing his enemy fighter down on to the ground. Ace only then had a moment to compose himself before the rebel came back after him.

"Damn it!" Ace hissed, as the rebel's spear brushed past Ace's face, leaving a thin red line right under his eye. He seized the end of the spear then and pulled it towards him as violently as he could. The rebel stumbled forward, almost falling to the ground, while trying to keep a hold of his weapon. Ace slammed his elbow into the back of the fighter's neck, causing him to black out for a moment, and falling limp. Ace threw him to the ground, and without realizing, something had started to change.

"By the gods…" Advent whispered.

"What on Atmos is going on!" The MC shouted, leaning over the railing on her platform, "Do my eyes deceive me! It looks like the Dark Ace is glowing!"

"Oh no!" Cyclonis shouted, noting that in fact he was emitting a strange, dark glow, "The other fighters need to get out of there now!"

"What!" Aerrow exclaimed, looking down at the arena floor, "What's going on?"

"Ah!" Sora hissed, gripping her burnt hand at that moment. She looked down at the dark, mulberry colored skin and noticed that it was giving of a faint dark bluish glow. She let out a slight gasp and covered it up with her robe.

"Are you alright Sora?" Nova asked, turning to her.

"I'm fine," Sora replied, turning away from her.

"Master!" Anaxagoras shouted, turning to Cypress from within the owner's box, "Are you seeing what I'm seeing!"

"Of course I see it," Cypress smiled darkly, crossing her arms as she looked down on to the arena floor, "It's just nice to see my experiment working in action for the first time." She stated with pride as Ace's eyes became consumed with blackness and the thick black claws shot out from his fingertips. For a minuet he just stood still, watching the others in the ring just staring at him with slight terror, "Why don't you move?" Cypress asked quietly, looking down at the ring curiously. Ace then turned and looked up to the stands, staring at the mirrored surface of the owner's box. Cypress knew that he couldn't see her from behind the glass, but it felt as though he was staring right at her. And there he stood, for several long moments.

"Enough of zis!" One of the rebels shouted, taking his spear in hand, and charging at Ace, who remained unmoving. Without shifting his attention or even taking his eyes away from Cypress behind the glass, he extended one of his arms outward, and plunged one of the claws directly through the head of the charging combatant. Just as quickly as he did so, he pulled the claw out from the fighter's skull with ease, still looking to Cypress as though saying: You're next. He then turned to Repton and the remaining member of the rebel's team, his neck making a harsh snapping sound as he did so, and he lunged towards them.

"I'm not going to sit idly by and watch that monster kill people," Skyler growled from her section of the stands, "I'm going down there!" She shouted, leaping on to the railing and moving to jump down on to the arena floor.

"Have you lost your mind!" Captain Scabulous shouted, holding her back, "You'll be disqualified! And we've come too far Skyler!"

"Damn it!" She growled, as he threw her back down against one of the seats, "Let me do this!"

"I'm not going to let your personal vendetta cloud your judgment," Scabulous snapped, giving her a sharp look. Skyler let out a growl, but knew that the Captain was only looking out for her best interest.

"Besides," The cloaked woman known as Noah began with a slight smile, "This fight is pretty interesting."

"Anteres!" Cloud shouted, meanwhile in the Champion's box just down the way from the owner's box, "What have you done to him!" She shouted, turning to Carver who was sitting comfortably right beside her.

"Why don't you take that up with my boss," Carver replied with a slight laugh, "Besides…maybe you just need to own up to the fact that your knight in shining armor might not be all that he seems…"

"Anteres is twice the man you'll ever be!" Cloud shouted, giving him the cold shoulder.

"He _just _killed someone…" Carver replied, rolling his eyes, "But no…he's _such _a good guy…"

"…Be quiet!" Cloud snapped, fighting a loosing battle, "And where is Cyrus anyway! I thought I made it clear that I wouldn't be joining you unless there was someone present!"

"Again," Carver replied, rising to his feet and crossing his arms, "Take that up with my boss…by the way…what's your attachment to Cyrus anyway?" He asked, circling around Cloud.

"None of your business!" Cloud growled, pushing Carver gently away from her.

"I don't believe what I'm seeing here people!" The MC gasped, "The Dark Ace seems to have lost all sense of what's going on and is now attacking his own team mate!"

"Damn you!" Repton shouted, trying to stay out of range of the razor sharp blades at the end of Ace's fingertips. Trying to get the creature away from him, Repton quickly turned his back on Ace and swung his thick tail in his direction, knocking his own teammate to the ground. However, Ace immediately rose to his feet, seemingly unaffected.

"Well this is quite the mess you've made for yourself mother," Farrah thought, floating around the Twilight Knight's box, completely unseen by the others, "This is fun to watch…but I believe this where I come in." She sighed to herself, looking down at the other Twilight Knights who were chattering in panic, asking one another if they should do something. The ghost girl floated down from the stands and touched on to the arena floor. She let out a sigh, and effortlessly drifted into Ace's body, fading into him, just as he was about to plunge one of his claws into Repton.

"AAAH!" Ace screamed, pulling away from the Raptor and gripping his hair as his body began to glow a bright blue and the arena floor below him began to crack and warp.

"Woah!" Aerrow exclaimed, looking down at the sight.

"Did you sense that too?" Advent asked, turning to Cresselia who nodded accordingly.

The floating arena platform began to shatter and Repton along with the remaining rebel clung to the still floating platform as it began to fall down into the abyss. The rebel began to loose his grip and Repton seized the opportunity, slamming his fist against the rebel's loosening fingers. The rebel let out a scream as he fell to the endless chasm below, and then disappeared in a flash of light.

"Repton and the Dark Ace are the winners!" The MC shouted, with slight panic in their voices, "But only if they can make it out of the arena in time!"

"This isn't good!" Cresselia shouted as larger pieces of the arena floor began to fall below.

"If someone destroys my arena one more time…" Cypress growled, pulling a crystal from within her robes. She then extended her hand out in front of her, as a red rune appeared on her palm and the crystal in her opposite hand began to glow. The glass panel before her then glowed red and shattered, as Cypress jumped out of the newly created opening. She touched down on the wall, just outside of the arena floor, overlooking the endless abyss. She grounded herself upon the thin ledge and held both of her arms out in front of her, the crystal in one hand, and several runes collectively placed in a circle appeared on the other. The crystal then turned to dust as the entire arena floor glowed a bright red. Once the light faded, the arena floor had been restored, and the audience burst into a thunderclap of excited cheers.

"Quickly!" Doctor Constantine exclaimed, as she and the other volunteers rushed out on to the floor. They picked the unconscious Ace off of the floor and began carrying him away while she headed towards Repton.

"I don't need your help!" The Raptor growled, pulling away from the doctor.

"Why would Cypress help us?" Aerrow asked curiously, turning to Advent.

"I don't think she was," Advent replied sternly, "I think she was just trying to further her precious tournament…"

Cypress then headed to the MC's platform, as though to make another announcement. However, she had forgotten to remove her robe, and her reliquary, which was still hanging at her hip. Cyclonis caught a glimpse of the relic hanging at her side, and as though she was being hit in the face by a brick, she was overcome with an immense headache.

"Ah…" She growled, collapsing to her knees as she gripped her head.

"Cyclonis!" Finn exclaimed, rushing to her side, "Are you all right!"

"Yeah…" She replied, as her vision went blurry and white, "I'm oka-" She tried to continue before falling unconscious. However, she didn't know that she was initially having a vision. All she could see amongst the blurred white light was Cypress standing on the arena floor, in her hand, the reliquary she had seen prior. Cypress knelt down beside the body, although Cyclonis could not see who it was. Cypress held the relic up to the face of the recently deceased corpse and a thin trail of white smoky light came floating through the eyes of the figure and drifted into the relic as the body disappeared in a flash of white light. The image then began to fade and grow black as Cyclonis heard the voices of her fellow Twilight Knights filling her ears.

"Give her some space you morons!" Nova snapped, as Cyclonis regained consciousness. She then rose to her feet, regardless of how light headed she actually was.

"Are you alright?" Advent asked, placing her hand on her daughter's shoulder. Cyclonis responded with a nod as she moved to leave the stands.

"Where on earth are you going!" Cresselia exclaimed, "Our fight starts in a half an hour!"

"There's something I have to do first," Cyclonis exclaimed, rushing down the stairs and seemingly heading out of the arena.

_I don't have much time,_ Cyclonis thought, rushing into the library in the resistance headquarters. She began tearing through the shelves of books, looking for any traces of information about the reliquary. Although, she didn't even know what it was called, so she didn't really know where to start. However, after tossing several dozen guides to common crystals and old history books over her shoulders, she came across a title that caught her eye.

"Valyrian artifacts and tokens of the Gods," Cyclonis whispered, brushing the layer of dust off of the old volume, "Now were getting somewhere. She looked over at the clock hanging on the wall and noted that she only had fifteen more minuets to head back to the arena and down to the platform in time for her fight. She flipped through the pages as quickly as she could, "That's it!" She gasped, looking at an old illustration on the musty pages, "Dar'Khan's reliquary of fallen souls…" She began, reading quietly to herself.

_I don't have time to read this all_, Cyclonis thought, marking the book with a folded piece of parchment as she slammed the book shut and tucked it under her arm, _I'll just have to show it to Advent and hope that she'll know what to make of this…that is…if I survive the fight…_ She thought, remembering who her opponent was.

She headed out of the resistance headquarters and back out into the streets of the city. She opened the book back up, hoping to get as much information as she could while still running.

"Watch where you're going!" Someone shouted as she rushed past them, practically knocking half of the pedestrians she passed by to the ground.

_Dar'Khan's Reliquary of fallen souls was an artifact created by the dark god himself,_ Cyclonis read to herself as she ran to the arena, _Originally used to ferry the spirits of fallen warriors to the other side, the reliquary can hold as many as ten thousand souls within its small contents…however, the dark god grew sick of his task and began using the souls that he captured within the reliquary to give himself more power. The more souls of fallen warriors contained within the reliquary…the stronger the person holding the artifact becomes! Advent needs to know about this…Now!_ Cyclonis thought, slamming the book shut as she rushed up the long staircase and into the arena. She ducked through the hallways and headed up to the Twilight Knight's box, where she found everyone waiting around, biting their nails in wait.

"There you are!" Advent exclaimed, taking Cyclonis by the arm, "You're match starts now! You need to meet Cresselia down at the arena platform immediately!"

"Mother!" Cyclonis began, holding the book out towards her Advent, "Listen to me! There's something I think you should read-"

"Enough of this Cyclonis," Advent began as they both met Cresselia down at the arena platform that would take them across to the arena floor, "And give me that…" She sighed, taking the book from her, "I really wish that you all would stop taking things from my library without my permission…"

"Mother I-" Cyclonis began, trying to get a word in edgewise.

"Would the fighters please make their way to the arena floor!" The MC shouted as the platform began to move, carrying her and Cresselia across the void and on to the arena floor.

"Cresselia…" Cypress began, with a false sense of friendliness, "Or should I call you Advent? Either way, our fight should be fun!"

"Spare me the pleasantries," Cresselia growled, drawing her weapon, "And just fight already…"

"Then by all means," Cypress smiled, extending her hand outwards, waiting for Cresselia to shake it. Cresselia did not. Instead, she spat on the ground before Cypress' feet and gave the woman an arrogant little smirk.

"You'll pay for that," Cypress growled, glaring down at her sister across time. Cresselia just responded with another smirk.

"Fighters ready!" The MC called, "And begin!"

* * *

_And welcome back to Inside Atmos! Bringing you news on the move! Our last match ended with a bang! Literally! Cresselia Dawnrunner and Cyclonis Dawnrunner against Master Cypress, their own sister and aunt! Sadly for these twilight fighters, the fight ended with our great leader and her lieutenant, Anaxagoras, taking victory. Making them the third members of the imperial team to be moving on to the final round!_

_But keep watching folks! Coming up in our next round is Dove and Stork, two fighters from rival teams, team twilight and the imperial team, going against two members of Stork's own team. Now this Merb is truly an underdog in this competition! Hanging in the background for most of the fights of round one, what is going to happen now that he'll have to stick his neck out for a change? And what about Dove? Betraying her own team to move on to greener pastures with the imperialists? She's proven on more than one occasion that the little girl that could from terra gale is one firecracker that you do not want to be up against, but will switching teams cost her? Tweet us your thoughts about it now! We'll be streaming your posts live during all of the tournament coverage! For now, I've been Stormy Skies reporting to you live from Lumina City. This has been Inside Atmos. Keep on watching!_

* * *

"_Stick his neck out for a change_?" Stork growled, watching one of the monitors within the hospital wing, "Now _this_ is why I don't watch the news…"

"Don't worry about it Stork," The Doctor stated, walking up behind him, "They only say that stuff to get a rise out of people…you know that. Besides, the audience loves a good underdog."

"And trust me Stork," A cold voice laughed behind them, "No one is a bigger _underdog_ than you…"

"Get out of here Nympherious," The Doctor snapped, turning around to him, "Shouldn't you be off with your team mate?"

"I should ask the same of Stork here," He replied, staring Stork down from across the room.

"It's really none of your business," Stork snapped, glaring over at him, "Now get out of here."

"With pleasure," Nympherious replied, laughing slightly as he walked past the pair, "Oh and by the way…I can't wait for out fight…"

"That fellow gives me the creeps," The Doctor then stated, once he had left, "I truly don't know what Advent sees in him."

"I guess we'll find out," Stork sighed, a little nervously as he headed out of the hospital wing. He headed up to the higher levels of the arena and out on to the mezzanine level of the complex. It was there where he found Dove, or at least, the person who was claiming to be her, standing, waiting for him with her arms crossed. Quietly, the pair stepped on to the nearby platform which would carry them down to the arena floor. Dove said nothing, she just stared at Stork with cold and dark eyes as the platform moved down towards the arena floor.

_What has Advent gotten me into?_ Stork thought miserably as the team stepped out on to the arena floor. He gulped slightly as the audience screamed and cheered for them. He had to admit though, he had been doing the bare minimum in fights, and now as Stork walked across the arena floor, he noticed Nympherious staring him down. Why he had it out for him so badly, he didn't know, but one thing Stork did know, was that Nympherious would be after him and he had to be on his game.

"Fighters! Are you ready!" The MC shouted, rather chipper. Nympherious and Dove shook hands, and everyone could tell that he was visibly bothered by Dove's presence. "And fight!"

Dove let out an animalistic growling noise as she leapt towards Victor, who looked completely unprepared. As quickly as she leapt on to him, he rebounded and pushed her off, throwing her down on to the arena floor.

"That little girl from terra gale is quite the animal after all," Anaxagoras began, watching the fight below, "But I must ask, what convinced her to come to our side?"

"Just a little persuasion," Cypress smiled, "after all, that's all it usually takes. Right Cyrus?" She asked, turning to the red-head.

"Yes master," Cyrus replied, looking down to the ground, "Master…if you don't mind…Carver requested my presence-"

"Go then," Cypress replied, dismissing her immediately, turning back to the fights.

"Thank you Master," Cyrus replied, slipping out of the door, and heading down the corridor, _What in the name of the Gods could that bastard want with me now…no doubt he wants me to do something foolish…treating me like his errand girl…_she thought angrily, gently knocking on the door to the Champion's box. The two sentries stationed in front of the doors, pulled it open for her and she stepped inside.

"So good of you to finally join us Cyrus," Carver began, honestly hoping that Cypress would have kept her longer.

"What do you want Carver?" She snapped, "Wait…what do you mean _us_?"

"H-hello Cyrus," Cloud greeted nervously, scratching the back of her head. Cyrus just stood in the doorway with a look on her face that could only be described as saying: Oh hell no!

"What's going on here!" She demanded, looking down at both of them.

"Oh I just invited Miss Cloud to watch the tournament with me," Carver explained, sounding rather faux-cavalier at that moment, "But she requested a chaperone…so I obliged."

"Excuse us for a moment," Cyrus began, seizing Cloud by her wrist and pulling her out of the room, "Have you absolutely lost your mind!"

"It's really none of your business why I'm here Cyrus," Cloud replied, pulling her wrist away from her.

"Fine," Cyrus growled, "But if Carver feels like getting a little grabby with you don't think I'm going to rush in and save you again! Last time you were being forced…this time…I'm not sure what your motives are."

"What makes you think I have a motive?" Cloud replied, scoffing at Cyrus.

"You're a woman…" Cyrus replied, crossing her arms, "And I also hear that the Dark Ace and Starling are smitten…and I bet that just drives you up the wall doesn't it?"

"You know…I was starting to think you were a good person," Cloud snapped, opening the door and heading back inside.

"Well you thought wrong," Cyrus sighed, walking back into the room behind her.

Meanwhile, down on the arena floor, it would have seemed the teams were evenly matched. Victor was struggling to keep 'Dove' away from him, fending her off with nothing more than a few kunai knives just to send her back a few steps. Nypherious on the other hand, was seemingly powering through Stork.

"I don't get it!" Stork finally shouted, as his daggers collided with Nympherious', "What is your problem! Why do you hate me so much!"

"I don't hate you!" Nympherious shouted, kicking Stork out from under his feet and knocking him to the ground, "I just don't trust you! That's all!"

"Trust me!" Stork shouted angrily, rising to his feet, "You're one to talk!"

"I know a lot about you!" Nympherious growled, as their blades grinded together, making a hideous screeching noise, "Being the only other Merb in the Twilight Knights…I make it a paranoid habit of knowing everyone's business."

"Your point!" Stork shouted, pushing him away.

"You're a liar!" Nympherious shouted, pointing towards Stork, "You tried blackmailing the Dark Ace, you smuggled poison into the resistance headquarters, made deals with criminals, not to mention you tried convincing your team mates on poisoning the other competitors knowing full well that you might have to fight your friends…" Nympherious growled, "I might be an ass…but at the very least I can admit it to myself, unlike you. You know…we're a lot alike though…regardless."

"You and I are nothing alike," Stork growled, "You're…you're a _horrible _person!"

"Hello pot, my name is kettle, you're black," Nympherious replied, crossing his arms.

"That's it!" Stork shouted, "I've had it with you!" He growled, rising to his feet, "And so has everyone else in the twilight knights!" He shouted, leaping towards Nympherious, and thrusting his fist into his face.

"Way to go Stork!" Aida shouted from the stands.

"Yes!" The Doctor squeaked, jumping up and down while watching the tournament from the monitors in the hospital wing.

"You'll pay for that you-" Nympherious growled, wiping the blood away from his lip and moving towards Stork. He dove in to attack, with his blades pointed down towards Stork, but before he could take another step, Stork disappeared. Not in a flash of light, like the combatants who lost, just disappeared.

"What is this!" The MC shouted, "It appears that Stork is just gone! It's as though he just vanished!"

"What in the-" Nympherious began, looking around the arena in confusion. He whirled his body around, trying to catch a glimpse of anything. However, before he could blink, he was knocked to the ground by a seemingly forceful blow to the stomach. Nympherious barely made it off of the ground before seemingly being struck in the side of the face. Nympherious was struck several times by the invisible force before collapsing completely, falling unconscious. In that moment, Stork re-appeared, standing over Nympherious, and breathing heavily.

"He…" Finn began, pointing down at the arena, "Stork…was…just…he was INVISIBLE!"

"So it would seem?" Ravess replied, "But how is that possible without a crystal?" She asked, turning to Advent.

"Easy," Advent replied with a smirk, "He's a guardian."

"Wow!" The MC shouted, "I don't believe it! Talk about a show! The incredible disappearing Stork and Dove of the imperial team are moving on!"

* * *

_Welcome back to Inside Atmos! Bringing you news on the move! We're here in Lumina City and the atmosphere here is just alive with the tournament vibe! We only have one more fights until the Red Palace finals and the Audience is ready and eager for round three to commence._

_So, for those of you at home who haven't been watching, let's recap, shall we? Our first fight was certainly electrifying, as the Dark Ace and Repton fought against Jean-Luc and Antoine of the Rebel Ducks! And if the fighting wasn't enough to get the crowd pumping, half the arena being destroyed in the process certainly was! After a quick floor repair by the master herself, we moved on to our second match! What a fight that turned out to be! Master Cypress and Anaxagoras versus Cresselia Dawnrunner and Cyclonis. Fun fact about this particular group of fighters, Cresselia and Cyclonis are BOTH related to Master Cypress! Cresselia just happens to be the Master's sister, where as the young Cyclonis is our Master's niece! Talk about a messy situation! The fight was even hairier!_

_But that's nothing compared to what happened next! Talk about dysfunctional, Stork and Dove, two fighters from enemy teams had to put their differences aside to fend off Nympherious and Victor of team Twilight. Or perhaps, it wasn't their teamwork, but Stork's little impromptu magic trick! Half way through the match, this little Merb just disappeared! Giving them just the edge they needed to win the fight. Although, we shouldn't be surprised. Although team Twilight has had their fair share of losses this tournament, they've proven themselves time and again! Just like our last fight. We here at Inside Atmos had high hopes for the underdog teams, however, neither of the remaining members of team Queen will be moving on to the finals. Ravess and Leto of team twilight proved that once again, the rebel team that could will be moving on to the finals._

_We only have one more fight until the finals tomorrow! Who will win? Keep watching to find out! For now! I've been Stormy Skies for Inside Atmos._

* * *

"Are you sure Master Advent is ready for this?" Snipe asked, just as his fight was about to start.

"Of course she is," Nova replied, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow, "This is Advent we're talking about…there's not much she isn't prepared for…besides, it's Cyrus and that nobody lieutenant that should be worried. Cyrus made her bed when she decided to play double agent…Still, you need to get out there, your match is about to start handsome." She continued, just before stepping off of the platform.

"Alright," Advent began, walking up beside Snipe, "It's time…"

"You've waited folks and at last we've reached the final match of the preliminaries!" The MC shouted as Advent and Snipe headed out on to the arena floor, "This last match will dictate who gets to move on and who takes the last two coveted spots in the finals!"

"Let's end this quickly," Cyrus sighed, looking down at the ground as she and Anaximenes headed on to the floor, "The faster we loose the faster we can get this tournament over with…"

"You aren't thinking about throwing the match are you!" Anaximenes gasped, grasping Cyrus by the shoulder, "Cypress would kill us if she knew we threw the fight!"

"I don't care," Cyrus snapped, brushing him away, "I wont fight Master Advent…"

"Then I will," Anaximenes growled as they headed to the center of the ring, "I'm not going to let your feelings screw up everything we've worked so hard for!"

"Fighters ready!" The MC then shouted over the loudspeaker, "And match begin!"

"Sorry Cyrus," Anaximenes then shouted, snapping his finger as a light orange spark flickered from his fingertips, which then grew into a bright flame in his hand. Anaximenes hurled the fireball in Advent's direction, but she extended her hand outward, ceasing the ball of flame in its tracks and blowing it out as though it was a candle.

_Anaximenes is a fool if he thinks he can take on my sister,_ Cypress thought, leaning back in her chair as she watched the fight, _Cresselia was only so easy to defeat because of her youth and that she hadn't reached her full power yet…regardless, those two have been a constant worry to me for some time…perhaps them being defeated will do them some good._

"Master Cypress?" Anaxagoras inquired, turning to her, noticing the dark smile on her face, "Is everything alright?"

"It's just fine Anaxagoras," Cypress replied, looking over to him, "Just enjoying the spectacle…that's all."

Meanwhile, down the corridor in the Champion's box;

"I should go," Cloud exclaimed, rising to her feet. She knew that she and Carver were alone, but for whatever reason, she didn't leave when Cyrus had done so, "I'm sure Doctor Constantine needs me and-"

"What's the rush?" Carver began, taking Cloud gently by the shoulders, "You might as well stay…after all, it is the last fight." He coaxed, moving his hands down her shoulders, past her arms, and taking her hands in his, "So why don't you sit down…" He continued, pulling her back away from the door, "And relax for a bit."

"No!" Cloud snapped, pulling away from him, "I need to go!" She growled, heading towards the doorway.

"You know something," Carver snapped, cutting Cloud off just before she could reach the exit, "You're quite the little tease!"

"How dare you!" Cloud growled, slapping him across the face, "You are never to speak to me in such a way again! And I would never lead you on because you sicken me! You're a disgusting self-absorbed bastard Carver! Why would I ever want to lie with a man like that!"

"I just have to ask then," Carver demanded, touching the stinging red mark on his face, "Why did you chose to come in the first place?"

"I have my reasons!" Cloud snapped, "You know I have!"

"So then I'm right," Carver replied, crossing his arms and leaning against the exit, "You want to make your precious Dark Ace jealous…and you're using me as your scapegoat? Funny that you think I'm such a bastard Cloud, maybe you should get to know your lovers a little better before making the beast with two backs." Without hesitation, she slapped him again.

"He's twice the man you'll ever be," Cloud hissed, trying to push Carver out of the way, "Say what you want about him…but at least he's not a _rapist_!"

"But he is a murderer…" Carver replied darkly, "The next time you get the chance, ask your ex about his encounters with the old Storm Hawks…" He stated, opening the door, and gesturing her to leave, "You might be shocked…"

"Go to hell," Cloud replied, just before leaving the room.

"Already there…" Carver replied, just before slamming the door behind her.

Meanwhile, down on the arena floor, the match mostly consisted of deflection and defense. Advent didn't want to try and attack Cyrus, and Snipe was conscious of that. It seemed like the only person who was making a conscious effort to keep the fight going was Anaximenes. However, it was very easy for Advent to diffuse his fiery attacks.

"This is pointless Advent," Cyrus shouted, "Just do it already…put me out of my misery!"

"I'm not going to fight you Cyrus," Advent stated, "I'd surrender first."

"No!" Cyrus exclaimed, "Don't you dare! Advent your squadron needs you in this tournament! The guardians need you! All of them collectively are more important than myself as an individual!"

"Cyrus I won't do it…" Advent began, clutching her rapier in her hands, "I…I love you too much…" She whispered under her breath.

_Sorry about this Advent_, Snipe then thought, holding his mace at the ready in his hands. With all his force (and seeing as how this was Snipe, it was quite a lot of force) he swung the mace towards Cyrus, as the heavy iron ball and chain went swinging towards the red head. The ball of the mace collided directly with Cyrus' stomach. The impact was so intense that Cyrus fell to the ground, loosing consciousness for a moment. She struggled back up to her feet for a few moments before being struck again with Snipe's mace.

"STOP!" Advent shouted as Cyrus was thrown back down against the ground once again. However, before Advent could stop Snipe from pounding her lover to death, an eruption of flames came rushing towards her. She jumped out of the way, only to jump directly into another wall of flames. Advent coughed, trying to push her way through the pressing heat, but before she could think, Anaximenes leapt through the fiery wall and threw his foot down against Advent's head, knocking her to the ground. She quickly rebounded, rising back to her feet in time to stop Anaximenes from attacking her again. She seized the man by the wrists and threw him to the ground, giving her enough time to extinguish the flames around her. She took in a deep breath, extended her arms out at her sides, and let loose a vortex of winds, which doused the burning arena floor, where half of the floor was now covered in dark black scorch marks.

Advent turned away from the triplet, for just a moment and looked over towards Cyrus. She was locked in combat with Snipe, trying to fend him off as best she could, however, as she held her Zanbato to defend herself, Snipe's mace broke through the metal blade, shattering it, and leaving the woman defenseless. Advent let out a gasp as she went to run to Cyrus' aid, but before she could, she heard the sound of fingers snapping behind her. She whipped her body around to find that Anaximenes had risen to his feet, and was getting ready to throw another ball of flame in Advent's direction. This time though, she was caught off guard, and as she tried to snuff out the fireball, the residual flames caught on to her sleeves, burning her arms. Still, she ignored the triplet and ran towards the opposite side of the arena to help her lover. Although she was too late.

Advent made it half way across the arena floor before Snipe swung his mace once again, this time with enough force to throw Cyrus out of the arena. And with that, the woman disappeared within a flash of white light.

"NO!" Advent shouted, collapsing to her knees.

_I knew it_, Cypress thought, watching her sister suffer from within the stands, _I knew she'd be too weak…_

"Oh No!" The MC shouted, "It looks like Cyrus is out! Can Anaximenes turn this thing around?"

"Damn you Cypress…" Advent thought, still on the ground, "This was your plan all along wasn't it?"

"Advent!" Aerrow shouted from the stands, "What are you doing! Get a hold of yourself and fight!"

_He's right_, Advent thought as she rose to her feet. She turned around to Anaximenes, her rapier in hand, and came after the red haired triplet. He tried to rebound with an attack, but she was just too fast. Before he could blink she had thrust her knee into his torso, and slammed her elbow into his back, simultaneously. He fell to the ground, and as he tried to regain his composure and rise to his feet, he found the end of Advent's rapier in his face.

"Submit," Advent stated quietly, "Or suffer…the choice is yours." Anaximenes bowed his head in defeat and disappeared from the stadium in a flash of white light.

"Well there you have it!" The MC shouted excitedly, "It looks like Advent Dawnrunner and Snipe will be the last two fighters moving on to the finals!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Cypress whispered darkly to herself as she looked down at her younger sister on the arena floor. But all Advent was thinking about was revenge.

* * *

**[Message from KC]:** FINALLY! Round two is over! I can not wait to progress with the actual plot of this story…

Carver: KC, what's a plot?

KC: …Carver…who let you out of the basement…

Carver:…

KC: Make me a sammich bitch!

Also, I think this was made unclear in the last couple of chapters, that or it perhaps just wasn't registering. Anyway, since Cypress took over and enacted the 'anti-crystal' law, there are no more crystal powered weapons, so all of the fighting being done is with well, actual weaponry and ammunition. Just clarifying. ALSO. Mkay I wanna make this known for a lot of reasons. I did NOT include Ravess and Leto's fight against the Screaming Queens because nothing really relevant happened in it, and it was basically a lot of writing that I was just too lazy to do. Also, I decided not to include the Cresselia, Cyclonis vs. Cypress, Anaxagoras fight because it would have been like 10 pages and I just can not be asked to deal with that right now…I am just too damn lazy…But the only thing that's really significant in that fight that happens is Cyclonis loses, and you already know she lost and you'll figure out why her losing is significant later…ANYWAAAAAY!

Not really much else to tell you, except for the rules and such for the Regiment of Twilight writing contest rules and such have been POSTED :D If you haven't stopped by my deviantArt page and are interested in the contest, go check it out! It should be fun for all! Okay guys enjoy! Coming soon, Chapter 12 and the multiple parts that will accompany that!


	47. Chapter 12: Round Three

**[Message from Kingdom Come]:** GOD this chapter is unnecessarily violent :D Anyway, I promised the next chapter would be up before midnight, and it is (my time anyway). I hope you enjoy! And yes, there is regretably going to be 3 parts to chapter 12 as well :( sorry.

* * *

Chapter XII.

Round Three

_Welcome back to Inside Atmos! Bringing you news on the move! Once again we are here in Lumina City and it is day ten of the Red Palace tournament and round three has officially begun! Today will mark the beginning of the all important finals and mark who of our twenty tournament hopefuls will move on to fight Carver, the Red Palace Champion! Out of the hundreds of competitors who came to the Lumina City Arena just two weeks ago, only ten will remain once today is over!_

_It is clear though that of the teams that entered, only three seem to be dominating this tournament! The rival teams, Team Twilight and the Imperial Team have suffered minimal losses in this tournament, sending a good portion of their teams to the finals. However, one team we underestimated completely was the mysterious Team Voleur, who is taking four of its members to the finals as well._

_What is in store for these fighters? Who knows? Keep watching Inside Atmos for all of your tournament updates and news! I've been Stormy Skies, live from Lumina City with Inside Atmos. Thanks for watching!_

* * *

"Good morning Lumina City!" The MC shouted into the microphone, her voice rebounding through the entire arena, "Are you ready for the Red Palace finals!" She called as the audience shouted and cheered, "Then let's bring out our contenders!" She shouted as the twenty fighters walked out on to the arena floor.

"I can't believe that out of all the people in our team that entered only twelve are left," Cloud began, as she and the Doctor watched by themselves from the Twilight Knight's box. After all, there were only twenty competitors left and for now, they wouldn't need to be tending to anyone.

"I know," The Doctor replied, biting her nails as she looked down at the arena floor, "I'm just worried about them…is all."

"I know," Cloud replied with a slight smile, "I'm worried about them too."

"So let's not waste any time!" The MC shouted, "And let's see who's fighting who!" She continued as the audience cheered. She turned to the screen behind her where there were twenty boxes appeared, with ten on each side of the screen. The screen began to flash as the photos of the twenty contenders within the squares. After a few agonizing seconds, they stopped, revealing the lineup for the day, "The fights will go as followed," The MC began, reading off the screen, "Ravess versus Repton, Captain Scabulous versus Leto, The Dark Ace versus Aida, Noah versus Sora, Skyler versus Aerrow, Snipe versus Starling, Anaxagoras versus Stork, Dove versus Finn, Meno versus Nova, and Cypress versus Advent! Our first match will begin in ten minuets!"

"Best of luck to you Ravess," Advent began, turning to her as they headed off of the arena floor.

"You're gonna need it sis," Snipe added sarcastically, punching his older sister gently in the arm.

"I don't need luck," Ravess added, turning to her younger brother and giving him a sharp look, "And unlike certain people, I don't need to rely on those who are more capable than me…"

"Lighten up will ya?" Snipe replied, rolling his eyes, "You can beat _Repton_ easy…It's called a joke sis."

"Hmph…" Ravess replied, giving him the cold shoulder as he walked away from her.

"Good Luck out there Aerrow," The Dark Ace began, walking past the red-head and heading up to the stands.

"Uh…thanks," Aerrow began, still not quite accustomed to the behavior coming from his former enemy.

"Although," Ace replied, turning around to face him, "I'll admit that I'm a little disappointed…I still have to prove that I can beat you after all…"

"Like that would happen anyway," Aerrow replied with a slight smile, rolling his eyes.

"Oh I just can't wait for today to be over!" The Doctor exclaimed once the rest of their team had made it back to the box, "The sooner we can end this round, the sooner we can end this dreadful tournament!"

"I'll admit that I want it to be over," Nova began, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair, "Although I do wanna watch the finalist beat Carver into the ground…"

"I'll second that," Aerrow stated, leaning against the railing of the box and looking down on to the arena floor.

"SHH!" Sora then exclaimed, "The match is about to start you guys!" She stated as Ravess and Repton headed out on to the arena floor.

"You don't ssstand a chanccce Ravesss!" Repton hissed, as he took his boomerang from off of his back and pointed it towards the woman, as though to intimidate her.

"I'll make you eat those words," Ravess replied, drawing an arrow from her quiver.

"Ready!" The MC shouted as the two fighters stared each other down, "And fight!"

As soon as the MC made the call, a silver tipped arrow went flying past Repton's face, and pierced the wall of the arena behind him. He turned back to the woman and threw the bladed boomerang in her direction. Ravess rushed out of the way of the flying weapon just in time, but forgot that boomerangs always return. The weapon struck her in the back, knocking her to the ground and leaving some sizable and fairly deep wounds in her back. She regained her composure, only to find the raptor charging towards her. She jumped to her feet and ducked out of the way of Repton's attack. She ran backwards, removing three arrows from the quiver on her back, and readying them in her bow.

Ravess pulled back on the taught string and immediately released the arrows. The first missed Repton by only a foot or so, but the second clipped the skin on his forehead. As for the third in pierced through his skin, landing in his right shoulder. Repton let out a loud scream of anger and pain as he pulled the arrow from his skin. He came rushing towards the woman, even angrier than ever. Ravess tried rushing out of the way, while attempting to ready another arrow, however, she wasn't quick enough. Repton brought the bladed edge of his boomerang down towards the woman. Ravess dropped her arrow and held her arm up to her face to protect herself. The blade went slicing through her skin and blood began to trickle down her forearm from where the blade had made contact.

Ravess let out a growl of pain as she pushed the blade back towards Repton with all her strength. Even from the stands, they could hear a loud cracking noise where the blade was coming in contact with the bone. The crack evolved into a booming snap as Ravess' arm fell limp and she and Repton broke from their stalemate. Without another thought, Ravess thrust her leg into Repton's torso, knocking him down to the ground, and giving her enough time to recoil. She attempted to take another arrow from her quiver, but she could barely move her other arm in order to pull it from the quiver, let alone to pull it back from the bow.

"Ravess' arm is broken!" The Doctor gasped from the stands, "She can't fight with one arm."

"Looks like you're out of optionsss," Repton laughed, looking down at Ravess' limp arm.

"I will not lose!" Ravess growled, taking her bow in her broken arm. She took another arrow from her quiver and pulled it back, readying to fire at Repton. However, her arm was shaking violently, barely able to keep her bow steady, let alone her aim. Not to mention she had just switched from her main hand.

"AHAHAHA!" Repton laughed, looking down at her pathetically, "I almossst feel bad about thisss!" he laughed, running towards her. He swung his tail around his body, knocking the already badly injured Ravess to the ground. She struggled to get back on to her feet, but between the loss of blood, the excruciating pain from her broken arm, and just from being beaten in general, she was struggling.

"Damn it," Ravess growled as she tried to get up off of the ground. However, as she looked up, she noted that the tip of Repton's bladed boomerang was pointed in her face.

"Sssurender…" Repton began confidently, waiting for Ravess to give up. Ravess bowed her head, seemingly in defeat, and Repton gave her a sharp-toothed smirk.

But before the MC could even open her big mouth, Ravess mustered up the last bit of strength she had left and threw her leg up towards Repton, kicking the boomerang out of his hand. The weapon went skidding across the ground beside them, and before the raptor had a moment to think, Ravess took her bow and pulled an arrow back in the string. After all, she wouldn't need to aim, at close range. Without even getting up from the ground, she released the bow string, and the silver tipped arrow flew upwards, piercing through the scaly skin underneath Repton's chin, and firing through his head. The raptor collapsed to the ground, dead.

Ravess struggled back up to her feet, and coughed, as a little splash of blood flew from her mouth. The arena then began to scream and cheer, chanting Ravess' name as Repton's body disappeared in a flash of white light.

"She…she _killed _him!" Finn shouted, in shock, looking down at the arena floor, "She actually just _killed _him!"

"Justice is served," Starling though aloud to herself as she leaned back against a nearby wall.

"Wow! What a fight!" The MC shouted, "Ravess is moving on in the finals and the first of the top ten!"

"I guess dis be meanin' I'm next den…" Leto began nervously, looking down at the arena floor.

"And I should head to the infirmary," The Doctor chimed, "That broken arm of Ravess' won't do her any good in the next round."

"I'll come with you," Cloud chimed, following after the doctor and heading out of the room. As the pair left, Doctor Constantine noticed, something out of the corner of her eye. Just before she closed the door, she noticed Finn's arm twitching involuntarily again. He was clutching his wrist with his opposite arm, ignoring the spasm, for now.

"Finn," The Doctor called, turning to the blonde, "Why don't you come too."

"Uhm," Finn began, looking around, a little confused just as the spasm had ceased, "Okay, but why?"

"I just want to check something out is all," The Doctor stated with a slight smile as he followed her and Cloud out of the room. Although, Doctor Constantine had slight dread in the back of her mind.

_Please,_ The Doctor thought as they all headed down to the infirmary, _Don't let this be what I think it is…_

* * *

"Would our next two fighters please make their way down to the arena floor!" The MC shouted into the microphone.

"Leto," Nova called, just before the troll made his way down to the platform, "Just be careful out there okay?"

"Nova," Leto smiled, turning to her, "Ya be worryin' too much! Ain't notin' dis pirate can do dat can intimidate me! It's in da bag mon!"

"Nova's right," Aerrow began, walking up beside the both of them, "I know he just looks like a thug, but Captain Scabulous is powerful. I should know."

"I be tellin' ya both now I ain't worried about dis!" Leto snapped, turning to both of them, "Nova, I know ya be my only mate hea in de Twilight Knights, and I know ya just be lookin' out for me, but I don't need either of ya to be doin' dat! I can take care of myself." He stated, walking down the stairs and away from them.

"Leto!" Aerrow called, moving after him, however, Nova took him by the shoulder and pulled him back.

"Let him go Aerrow," Nova sighed, shaking her head, "I don't know what it is about this tournament and everyone trying to prove something, but I know Leto better than anyone on this squadron, and trust me, when he sets after something he sets after it. He's stubborn like that…but I suppose I'm just drawn to stubborn men…"

"Or maybe birds of a feather flock together," Aerrow replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Watch it!" Nova snapped, punching Aerrow in the arm.

"Alright fighters!" The MC shouted, looking down at the arena floor, "Are you ready!"

"Bring it on," Leto began, holding his scimitars in his hands, "I hope ya liked bein' in dis tournament…because hea's where it ends."

"Not likely little troll," Captain Scabulous replied, unsheathing his sabers, "I don't have any intention of leaving this arena without the title of Red Palace Champion…"

"And begin!" The MC shouted as the audience cheered, ready for the next fight to commence.

Immediately as the call was made, the blades of the two men clashed together, sending a few sparks into the air as the metal grinded together. Leto and Scabulous stayed locked in combat, as the sounds of metal colliding with metal sounded throughout the stadium, even over the sounds of the audience's cheers. The Captain finally brought his blade crashing down towards Leto, who held up both of his scimitars to deflect the attack. Scabulous pushed the blade down closer towards Leto, hoping the Troll would lose his footing, or his defense would break, but Leto pushed back against the Captain, causing him to fall back slightly. Leto took hold of the moment and dropped down to the ground, out of Scabulous' reach, extended his leg outwards, and spun around, kicking the captain out from under his feet.

Leto rushed over to the captain and placed his foot on his chest triumphantly, however, Scabulous seized his ankle, and threw him to the ground. Leto skidded against the floor of the arena, and as he rose to his feet, he revealed a dark reddish brush burn from his face grinding against the arena floor. Scabulous looked at the mark and began to laugh.

"Watchu' laughin' at," Leto retorted, "No matta' what ya do to me in dis fight, my face still won't be nearly as ugly as yours!"

"What did you just say!" Captain Scabulous exclaimed. Leto didn't say anything in response. He just extended his hand out in front of him and moved his two fingers, gesturing: _Come and get me! _He was completely egging the captain on.

"Don't get cocky Leto!" Snipe exclaimed from the stands.

"Oh he's so in for it now…" Stork added direly, looking down at the arena floor.

"You'll choke on that comment Troll!" Scabulous shouted, swinging his sabers high above Leto's head. Leto gulped as he ducked out of the way, just in time. However, where he had been standing, the Captain had left a large and somewhat shattered impression. Leto looked at the mark on the ground and begun to panic a little as he headed away from the Captain. But, although Scabulous was a large creature, he was rather fast, catching up to Leto quickly. Scabulous swung his saber towards the troll, as Leto jumped out of the way, however, the tip of the blade just caught him, leaving a thin and shallow slice across his chest and tearing through his uniform.

"Ahh…" Leto hissed, gripping his chest, and the now bleeding mark that was now there. The captain responded with a dark smile as he continued after him. All Leto could do was fend off whatever attack Scabulous threw at him. But as the pair battled it out, Leto then lost his footing and fell backwards, hitting his head hard against the arena floor. He was dizzy for a moment, but regained his composure just in time to see the Captain looming over him. Leto panicked. He took a hold of his scimitar and plunged it into the elbow of the Captain's mechanical arm. Scabulous let out a hiss as he tried to dislodge the blade, but it was entangled within the mechanism. Leto seized the moment, and leapt into above the captain and into the air. While he was in mid air, Leto swung his leg around, kicking the captain in the face and knocking him to the ground.

Leto jumped down on top of him and began to pry at his sword. Eventually, there was a loud snapping noise, and in an explosion of wires, gears, and sparks, Leto dislodged the Captain's prosthetic arm, as the Captain howled in pain and rage, leaving behind a sparking and sputtering stump where the mechanical arm should have been. With his remaining arm, he turned around and seized Leto by the neck, lifting him into the air.

"You'll pay for that…" Scabulous growled, as Leto struggled to break free from the captain's grip. He threw the Troll down against the ground, and Leto struggled to his feet, but ultimately found himself struggling to stay conscious. Scabulous walked over towards him, and lifted the Troll up by the roots of his hair, and violently threw his face back down on the ground, "Foolish Troll…" Scabulous stated, as Leto disappeared within a flash of white light.

"Well there you have it ladies and gentleman!" The MC shouted, "Even after losing the use of his arm, Captain Scabulous has claimed his place in the top ten!"

* * *

"AHH!" Scabulous growled, as he sat upon one of the chairs within the infirmary, "Damn it! Can't you be a little less invasive!"

"Ooh you poor thing," Aida began, rolling his eyes, as he went about removing wires and replacing them with new ones, "The Captain can take being cut up and beaten in the arena but he can't handle a teensy little prosthetics procedure."

"Can you fix it or not?" Scabulous demanded, looking down to Aida, who was still working on the arm.

"You…like most of the world…underestimate me…I can have this fixed for you before your next fight," Aida stated with a slight smile, "Granted…if I even win my match…Now brace yourself…I'm re-linking the base mechanism to your central nervous system…so this is going to hurt."

"AHH!" Scabulous hissed, gripping the arm of the chair he was sitting in.

"I told you it's gonna hurt!" Aida snapped, looking up at him, "What happens to the fighters that lose anyway? I mean…they disappear from the arena and then we don't ever see them again…"

"Don't AAH-ask me…" Scabulous growled, as Aida plugged in another uplink to his nervous system, "I haven't lost yet."

"Hmm…" Aida thought, pondering for a moment, "Anyway…you're nearly ready for a new prosthetic…It's just the problem of getting you one before tomorrow."

"If you could," Scabulous stated, turning to Aida, but still not removing his ever dire expression, "I would be forever in your debt Caylo…"

"Aida I hate to be the bearer of bad news," The Doctor began, walking up behind him, "But your match is set to start in a few minuets. Don't worry…the Captain will be in good care during your fight."

"He doesn't need good care," Aida stated, standing upright, "He needs a mechanic, and unfortunately the only one left is me…I whole heartedly intend to come back and finish what I started though." He stated, turning to the Captain just before leaving the infirmary.

Alone, and without any other well wishes, Aida walked up to the mezzanine level of the arena and to the levitating platform. He stepped on to it, and waited, listening to the crowd cheer and feeling the arena stands rumble.

"Would our next two fighters please make their way to the arena floor!" The MC called, as the platforms began to descend to the arena floor. Once they ceased, both of the Caylo brothers stepped on to the arena floor.

"Anteres," Aida called to his brother on the opposite side of the floor, "You know we don't have to do this…"

"Are you scared," Ace replied, a bit coldly, crossing his arms at his brother.

"What?" Aida responded, sounding slightly confused, "No…It's just…you're my brother…"

"Aida," Ace shouted from across the way, looking over to his brother casually, "Perhaps you should just withdraw…"

"…Excuse me?" Aida retorted, sounding offended by his brother's gesture.

"Did the Dark Ace just ask his brother to _give up_ for him?" Aerrow asked, turning to the others in the stands.

"Yeah actually I think he did," Nova nodded, looking down at the arena floor a little confused.

"Doesn't seem like his style," Finn added.

"Face it Aida…" Ace continued, "You don't stand a chance! Not against me anyway! You're my brother and all, but don't kid yourself, you've only gotten this far by the help of others-"

"Oh that's it!" Aida shouted, pulling one of the stilettos from the bag strapped to his leg, "I've been wanting to do this for so many years now!" Aida shouted, throwing the thin blade towards his brother. Ace caught the blade just in time in between his fingers, but barely an inch away from his face.

"What in God's name-" Ace shouted, throwing the stiletto down to the ground.

"Sorry Anteres," Aida interrupted, "But you just crossed a line! I was a Twilight Knight way before you were! Remember that! Not to mention, this is years of get back I've been waiting for!"

"_Get back_?" Sora asked, turning to the rest of the group, looking confused, "What's going on here?"

"It's a long story," Nova stated, sounding disappointed, "But it all boils down to the fact that the Dark Ace really screwed Aida when they were kids. I should know…I was there to pick Aida up off the floor after the whole thing went down…accidentally of course."

"So this match is a family feud," Aerrow began, looking down at the floor.

"Fine Aida," Ace began, unsheathing his double bladed sword, "You won't let sleeping dogs lie…that's your choice! I've righted my wrongs!"

"That's a lie…and you know it," Aida shouted back, taking a stiletto in between each of his fingers, "I'll be waiting whenever you decide you're man enough to fight me!"

"That's it!" Ace growled, heading towards his brother. Aida quickly threw the blades in his hand down towards the ground near his brother's feet. Ace jumped back to avoid being pierced by the sharp ends, distracting him long enough for Aida to rush up beside him. He plunged his fist into Ace's torso, causing him to fall backwards, but unfortunately for Aida, he was wide open for a recoil. Just as Ace was falling backwards, he cracked the hilt of his sword into the neck of his brother and both men fell to the ground. Ace leapt to his feet instantly, but Aida was still dizzy from the blow to the back of the neck, "Stop acting like the world owes you something!" Ace growled, pointing the end of the blade down at his younger brother.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that!" Aida snapped, kicking the blade out of his brother's hands and jumping back up to his feet. The sword went spinning through the air, before crashing to the ground and plunging into the arena floor, embedded in the surface. Aida then took the bag strapped to his leg and tossed it aside, eliminating his weapons from the equation as well.

"What's this!" The MC shouted, "It looks like Aida Caylo just threw his weapons away! Maybe out of respect for his brother, but it looks like this match is turning into a good old fashioned fist fight."

"What are you trying to prove?" Ace began, putting up his fists.

"Nothing," Aida snapped, bringing his fists up as well, "This isn't about _proving_ anything. This is, however, about knocking you down a few pegs!" Aida shouted, diving his fist towards his brother. Ace seized his brother's wrist before Aida could land a blow. Aida then moved to strike his brother with his free hand, however, Ace seized that wrist before Aida could strike again. Ace then lifted both of his brother's wrists above the both of them, and thrust his knee into Aida's torso. Aida went limp for a second, and Ace threw Aida down on his back against the arena floor by his wrists. Aida quickly rolled back up to his feet and moved to strike at his brother again. Instinctively, Ace moved for Aida's wrists, however, just as Ace got close, Aida threw his hands above his head, and swung his leg into the air, striking the side of Ace's head with the heel of his foot. Ace fell to the floor, and tried rising back up. However, as Ace began making his way back to his feet, Aida swung his leg around again, and slammed his heel into the back of his brother's head.

Aida let out a sigh of relief as he thought his brother was unconscious, and he turned away from Ace, expecting him to disappear from the arena floor. But as Aida took a step away from his brother, he felt something seize his ankle and he was pulled down to the ground, front first, knocking the wind out of him. He was then pulled up to his feet by his shoulders, and felt a sharp knee drive into his torso as he coughed up a small amount of blood. Aida retaliated and threw his fist into Ace's torso before he could strike him again. They both fell to their knees for a moment, catching their breath, and staring at one another, less than three feet apart.

"You…wanna recant…that statement…you made earlier?" Aida asked angrily, breathing heavily, as both men rose to their feet, "About…not being able…to beat you…"

"No… and look at you!" Ace responded, laughing slightly, "You can barely stand…not to mention you haven't beaten me yet!"

"Aida looks like he's done for," Sora replied dismally, as the rest of their team watched from the stands.

"Yeah but who knew he could take a punch," Nova replied.

"But the Dark Ace looks like he hasn't even broken a sweat," Aerrow added.

"And Aida can barely stand," Starling sighed.

"I'm not giving up yet!" Aida shouted, putting up his fists once again.

"Fine!" Ace growled, "You can be stubborn all you want! But you're not going to win this." He added.

"It's not about WINNING!" Aida shouted, rushing towards his brother. Ace did the same as both brothers charged towards one another. Each threw their fists towards the other once they were close enough to one another, summoning all the strength within both of them. Then, in unison, both men struck each other in the side of their faces. Both Aida and Ace fell backwards to the ground, motionless for several moments.

"It looks like…" The MC began, looking down at the floor, waiting for both of them to move, "…They are! Both Aida Caylo and the Dark Ace are out cold! Meaning this match ends in a draw and neither move on to the finals! What an upset!"

"Cloud!" The doctor shouted, gesturing the Druid to come with her, "Quickly! With me! Those boys need medical attention!" She stated, as the pair hurried to the arena floor.

"Damn it," Cypress whispered, watching angrily from above in the owner's box, "Well this just ruins everything…"

* * *

"It's a good thing that the two of you fell unconscious when you did," The Doctor stated, patching up Ace in the infirmary, "I don't think either of you could take much more of a beating."

"I would have been fine," Ace stated, crossing his arm as the Doctor moved away from him.

"Uh-huh," Doctor Constantine replied, "And that's why you're not moving on in the finals right?"

"Enough Doctor," Cloud began with a slight smile, "Both Aida and Anteres have been through enough today." She stated, just before leaving the infirmary, Ace watching her as she left the room.

"You should just talk to her," Aida stated with a slightly irritated sigh as he carried a metal tray containing various types of tools on top as he walked across the infirmary.

"Aida lay back down!" The Doctor snapped, "You're not in a position to be up and moving."

"I'm sorry," Aida replied, rolling his eyes, "But I'll never finish the Captain's arm in time if I take a minuet to _breathe_…"

"What do you _owe _Captain Scabulous anyway," Ace snapped, turning to his brother, knowing full well that the Captain was still in the room.

"None of your business," Scabulous growled, as Aida knelt down by the empty socket where the Captain's arm was.

"Both of you!" The Doctor exclaimed, "Enough of this! Now I am leaving…Sora's fight is set to start soon. I expect the both of you to settle whatever this issue is!" She stated, rushing out of the room.

"So what's your problem?" Ace demanded once both brothers were alone (except for the captain being in their presence).

"You," Aida stated flatly, measuring the Captain's organic arm as he spoke.

"Care to explain," Ace replied, giving his brother a sharp look.

"You're so arrogant," Aida responded, "You have been ever since you became a talon. I'll admit that ever since you died and subsequently joined the Twilight Knights you gained an _ounce _of humility. I kind of want to know what got into you…"

"Or who," Ace added, looking down at the floor.

"What?" Aida asked, turning around.

"Nothing," Ace replied, "And…you're right."

"You're damn right I'm- wait…what did you just say?" Aida asked, looking over to Ace, "Did you just say…I was right?"

"Yes," Ace nodded, "You're right…and I'm sorry…about a lot of things. I've owed a lot of people apologies, that I've delivered…except to you. So I'm sorry, about what happened between us when we were kids, and about how I've treated you lately."

"…well thank you," Aida replied quietly, looking back to his work. He wasn't expecting an apology. He didn't know what he was expecting, but an apology wasn't it. Aida then took the measurements of the Captain's arm and rose to his feet, moving to leave the infirmary.

"Where are you going?" Ace inquired.

"Back to headquarters…" Aida stated, "I'm no longer competing, and I have to build a prosthetic arm before tomorrow…I have a lot of work to do." He stated before leaving the room.

"What happened between you two," The Captain demanded, as Ace turned to face him.

"Why do you care?" Ace snapped, crossing his arms.

"I don't," Captain Scabulous replied darkly, "But do you see either of us going anywhere?"

"It's a long story," Ace replied with a long sigh as he leaned back against the wall, "But Aida and I-" He continued before being interrupted by the monitor hanging in the infirmary.

"Our next match is about to begin!" The MC called, as the two men watched Sora and the cloaked woman step on to the field.

"Your Sora doesn't stand a chance," Scabulous stated, looking up to the monitor, "Noah is powerful…I've never seen a power like that before, especially from such a small woman."

"Wait…" Ace began, turning to Scabulous, "Noah…that's her name?"

"Yes why?" The Captain replied, raising his eyebrow.

"Nothing," Ace replied, biting his nails as he looked back to the monitor, "I just…knew a woman by that name."

"Well," The cloaked woman began as the cameras focused in on her down on the arena floor, heading towards Sora, "You were a lot younger when we last met little scientist."

"Excuse me?" Sora asked, as her opponent removed her hood. She was young, maybe twenty. Her skin was pale, and her hair was a dark burgundy color and cut rather short. She had cold green eyes and a cold smile to match. Sora gave her a perplexed look. She had never met or seen this woman before.

"You don't recognize me do you?" The woman smiled, heading towards Sora, "Then again…I don't expect you to recognize me. The last time you saw me I was capturing boys on the Caylo isles."

"What…" Sora gasped, "No way! The last time I saw Noah she was a hag, turning innocent boys into monsters! Not to mention Nova sent her to the center of Atmos! She'd be nothing but a burnt husk."

"Funny thing about crystals," Noah smiled, looking up at Sora, "There's nothing you can't do with them…although I was able to save myself from burning to death in the molten core…I was pretty badly burned. Charred beyond recognition in fact. I needed a new body, so I fooled some stupid girl on Atmosia. She was so ready to help the poor disfigured old woman wandering the streets, so I let her, and transferred her soul into my old body and mine into hers! And when her body grew old and useless…I just found a new one. Like I said…it's amazing what you can do with Crystals these days."

"You witch!" Sora exclaimed, "Those powers are a privilege and not a right and you can't just abuse them like that!"

"You'll find I can do anything I want with them," Noah smiled deviously, as she held her hands apart and up to her chest. Several symbols appeared on her arms and began to glow as a small orb of reddish light began to take a shape between her hands. The light began to expand as the energy created from it threw a violent wind through the arena and sent an explosion firing in Sora's direction. The dust cleared and revealed a massive scorch mark where Sora had been, "And this makes the end of the match." Noah smiled, turning away from the scorch mark.

"And you should use a different technique!" Sora shouted, dashing up in front of Noah, thrusting her fist into the woman's face and knocking her to the ground, "For someone who brags about her power, you'd better learn some better tricks!"

"You brat!" Noah shouted, scrambling to her feet, "You'll pay for that!" She shouted as her arms began to glow again. She threw her hands against the ground, cracking the base of the arena floor below Sora's feet.

_Okay,_ Sora thought, jumping out of the way of the sundering floor, _Maybe she does have some other moves!_

"Take that you little worm!" Noah laughed, as the arena floor began to crumble into the abyss, leaving only several still floating platforms, "You can't compete with my brand of symbology!"

"I don't understand," Sora said to herself, "How is it that she can use any of the sciences without a crystal?"

"The answer to your question is simple Sora," Noah replied smugly, "But I don't think I'll tell you. I'm going to keep this little secret to myself." She stated, charging up for another blast and aiming towards the small platform on which Sora was standing. She fired at the girl and Sora jumped to the next floating section of the arena floor and watched as the explosion destroyed the platform.

"UGH!" Sora growled as the aftershock knocked her down against what little floor still remained.

"You can't win this little girl!" Noah laughed, "You're useless without a crystal to catalyze! That happens to be my advantage!" She smiled darkly, charging up another attack.

_No you don't!_ Sora thought, jumping to the next platform, _You can't pull that one on me again!_ Noah moved, trying to stay on Sora to blow her out of the ring. But the youth was moving too fast for her. Noah tried throwing her entropic energy at Sora, but lost control of containing the blast. The energy diffused, causing an explosion that knocked Noah off of her platform. She seized the ledge with one hand, hanging above the endless abyss below the arena floor. Instinctively, Sora rushed to Noah's aid, leaping to the platform. She seized Noah's arm and began pulling her back up. Noah smiled darkly and seized the roots of Sora's hair, attempting to throw her down into the abyss. However, the dark burn mark on Sora's hand touched against the glowing symbols on Noah's arm. There was a bright flash of light as bolts of energy began colliding with the walls of the arena, and firing through into the stands. The audience began to scream as they rushed out of the stands and as the arena slowly began to crumble in the wake of the destructive bolts.

"Where are these attacks coming from!" Finn shouted, as the stands began to collapse around them.

"Look!" Starling shouted, pointing down at what remained of the arena floor where Sora was radiating with a bright and violent glow, "It's coming from Sora!"

"What should we do!" Nova shouted as the energy emitting from Sora now began to create a violent wind, throwing the wreckage of the arena through the air.

"I-I've never seen such power!" Noah shouted, trying to pry free from Sora's grip. Although, in her fear she didn't think about the fact that Sora was the only thing keeping her from plummeting into the abyss. Sora's hand released Noah and the woman fell into the darkness, and then disappeared in a flash of light, although it was practically unnoticeable from the chaos unfurling around them.

Advent leapt on to the railing of the Twilight Knight's box and down on to the remnants of the arena floor. She leapt from platform to platform until she reached Sora, who was motionless, petrified by the amount of power pulsing through her small frame. Advent lifted Sora up to her feet, and clutched the girl tightly in her arms.

"What's she doing!" Aerrow exclaimed, trying to head down to the arena floor to assist her.

"No!" Nova exclaimed, pulling him back, "Let Advent do this!"

"It's alright Sora…" Advent whispered, while still clutching the girl, "Shh…" She sighed, trying to calm her down. Sora ceased glowing and fell limply in Advent's arms. She then slung Sora's arm over her shoulder and moved to the arena exit.

"I don't believe this," Cypress growled rising to her feet and moving to exit the owner's box, "We'll need to repair the arena before the final fight…"

"It seems like this tournament is set to end in some sort of disaster," Anaxagoras sighed, shaking his head.

"Call the slaves," Cypress sighed, gripping her temples, "We need to fix this mess…" She grumbled, as Meno followed her out of the room.

"Master," Meno began, heading after Cypress through the debris coating the floor below them, "What do you make of the girl?"

"I've never seen any human creature react in such a way to any type of reaction…runeologic or symbolic…" Cypress stated darkly, "That girl is not of this Atmos…or of this world…"


	48. Chapter 12: Round Three, Part II

**[Message from Kingdom Come/Update]: **just letting you guys know that even though I am updating slowly, I am trying. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry about the late update but there has been so much going on right now! I also was stuck in a huge writing rut and just couldn't write at all, so forgive ,me on that. Also, I tried to challenge myself on this and use as little page breaks as possible. So there should be more chapters to come. I am sorry about the laaaaaaaaaaate update.

* * *

Chapter XII.

Round Three (Part II)

_Welcome back to Inside Atmos! Bringing you news on the move! Hello out there! I'm Stormy Skies, correspondent for Inside Atmos. I'm here live in Lumina City, where we are entering day eleven of the Red Palace Tournament. For those of you who have been watching at home, It's been an insane couple of days here at the Lumina arena. And yesterday was no exception. During the fourth match of the preliminaries, contenders Noah and Sora subsequently destroyed half of the arena during their fight!_

_After a long night and a lengthy clean up, Master Cypress and her crew here at the tournament grounds have brought the arena back into working condition and what was supposed to be our fifth match will beginning this morning. It should prove to be a good one too! Former team members in round two, Aerrow, formerly of the Storm Hawks and current Twilight Knight, will be facing off against Skyler. And how will the next half of the preliminaries play out anyway! After all, given the sudden draw between brothers Anteres and Aida Caylo, this means that only nine people will move on to the final round. Interesting indeed!_

_However, you can be that Inside Atmos will be here covering every minuet of the Red Palace Tournament for you folks at home. Keep watching out there! For now, I've been Stormy Skies and this has been Inside Atmos._

* * *

"Good morning Lumina City!" The MC shouted into the microphone as she walked on to her platform above the arena and the audience cheered, "Are you ready to see some fights!" She rallied, after the audience roared even louder, "Then let's not waste any time! Aerrow and Skyler, would you please make your way to the arena floor!"

"Here I go," Aerrow began, taking in a deep breath and heading out of the spectator's box.

"Aerrow wait!" the Dark Ace called, following after him, "Listen…before you go…just be careful. Skyler's been holding back this entire tournament. I know she has. But we're in the finals now and she might be less inclined to-"

"I'll be fine," Aerrow stated with a smirk and a shrug, "I've seen what Skyler's capable of, and I'm not afraid of her, or anyone else." He stated, turning away from him and heading down to the arena floor.

"I hope you're right this time Aerrow," Ace sighed, shaking his head as he watched him walk away. He headed back up into the spectator's box with who little remained in their team and watched from above as two figures stepped on to the arena floor.

"Fighters ready!" The MC shouted as Aerrow and Skyler stared one another down from across the floor.

"Let's get something clear now Aerrow!" Skyler hissed, "You are the last person I have any interest in fighting in this match…"

"Is that supposed to be some kind of insult?" Aerrow replied with a smirk, "I could care less!" He shouted, pointing his twin blades in her direction.

"You're just like your father," Skyler growled as her arm began to glow red and long thin crystalline spikes began to emerge from her fingertips. She then charged at him, diving her dark claws towards him. He jumped out of the way just in time, but Skyler still came at him.

"What is that supposed to mean!" Aerrow snapped, kicking Skyler in the sternum and knocking her to the ground.

"He was overconfident!" Skyler growled, leaping into the air and swiping blindly away, catching Aerrow by the chest and slicing through his uniform and just barely scratching the skin's surface, "Arrogant, and self-centered! Just like every other sky knight! I'm sure it lead to his downfall."

"Take that back!" Aerrow growled, seizing Skyler by the collar of her tunic. She dug her crystal-like claws into his arms, but it didn't seem to phase him. He was so blinded by what Skyler had said that he didn't care, "He was twice the human being you'll ever be!" Aerrow shouted, throwing her body down on to the ground.

"How would you know," Skyler coughed and sputtered, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth, "You didn't even know him!" She then stated, as her arms began to glow. She slammed the palms of her hands down on to the arena floor, and the staging area below them began to crack.

"No you don't!" Aerrow shouted, bounding towards her, as she sent jolts of the reddish energy pulsing through the ground. And just as quickly as Skyler sent her attack through the arena floor, Aerrow had rushe dup towards her and thrust his knee into the woman's chin, knocking her backwards.

"Now I said take back what you said!" Aerrow demanded, lifting Skyler off of the ground by the collar of her tunic.

"I've never seen Aerrow act like this before," Finn exclaimed, leaning over the railing of the spectator's box, "What's gotten into him!"

"I don't know," Advent began, looking around the arena curiously, "But something is amiss here…"

"What was that Master Advent?" Nova asked, turning to her.

"Nothing," Advent replied, shaking her head.

"Face it!" Skyler growled, still in Aerrow's clutch, "The truth…it stings, doesn't it Sky Knight? Your father was a no-good bastard who lead a foolish crusade against an innocent people for no reason. Think about it! Even the battle against the Cyclonians was all a ploy to cover up for the fact that he and the rest of that damned _sky knight council_ didn't like anyone thinking differently from them! Ridding the Atmos of evil…what a load of-" She continued, before being violently interrupted by Aerrow's fist in her face.

"Shut up!" Aerrow shouted again, really trying to make his demands clear. By this point, both fighters were on the ground, Skyler thrown down on to her back, while Aerrow stood on his knees with his legs straddled over her torso, his arms pinning her down by the wrists.

"Face it," Skyler scoffed, as Aerrow's hands were being burned by the singeing energy flowing through Skyler's arms, "You sky knights aren't nearly as noble as you wish you were-"

"I said shut UP!" Aerrow shouted, letting go of one of Skyler's arms and throwing his fist into her face. The audience let out a gasp as Aerrow continued to unrelentingly lay in hit after hit into the side of her skull for what seemed like hours. He pulled away from her, standing over the woman, her face swollen and bloodied as she laid limply on to the ground, unconscious.

"…wow…" Ace whispered as Skyler's body disappeared in a flash of white light from the arena. _Something isn't right here,_ He thought quietly as Aerrow carried himself out of the arena, _Not even Aerrow is that aggressive…_

_How intuitive you are dear uncle, _A voice whispered in his head as Farrah appeared within the corner of his eye, _Perhaps your friend, the scryer, and my cousin, wasn't too far off. _She stated, nodding over towards the old book that Advent had left in the spectator's box, ignoring Cyclonis' plea to listen.

_What do you know?_ Ace asked, knowing that Farrah could hear his thoughts.

_Take the book dear uncle…_ Farrah responded promptly, _The page you need is already marked…all you have to do is follow me._

"Would our next match is set to start!" The MC then shouted, as everyone turned their attention to the arena floor once again, "Would Snipe and Starling please make their way to the floor!"

_Follow me now! _Farrah commanded, as the specter gestured Ace to follow her out of the spectator's box, _While they're distracted…and bring the book._

Ace followed her directions and snagged the ancient volume off of the seat behind Advent and tucked it under his arm. He slipped out of the door and followed the pale spirit down the hallway. Meanwhile, the others inside the spectator's box had no idea he had even left.

"I wish the both of you the best of luck," Advent smiled, nodding at both Starling and Snipe just before they headed down to the arena floor.

"I expect to see you moving on to the next round tough guy," Nova whispered, punching Snipe in the arm just as he headed out.

"Likewise," He replied, with a slight smile, "Or do you forget that you've yet to fight?"

"Please," She laughed, rolling her eyes, "As if Meno can beat me…"

"We'd better not waste any time," Starling began with a smile, taking her nunchucks in hand, while looking around the spectator's box.

"Starling what are you looking for?" Sora asked, as Snipe had already made his way down to the arena floor.

"Nothing," Starling replied sheepishly, scratching the back of her head, "I uh…never mind…" She sighed, rushing out of the room.

"What's her deal?" Finn asked once Starling was gone.

"I have a few ideas," Advent sighed, shaking her head, "No matter, it's not important, the point is at least in this match, one of our team members is guaranteed a spot in the next round."

"Hey wait a minuet," Sora began, looking around the spectator's box, "Where did ace go?"

"Hmm?" Nova began, "I didn't even see him leave."

* * *

"Where are we going Farrah?" Ace asked as he and the ghost girl headed into the large elevator platform centering the arena levels. She gestured him to press one of the buttons and the platform began to ascend.

"To visit my mother," Farrah smiled playfully at him, "There's something of hers that I'd like you to see!"

"Are you insane!" Ace exclaimed, hitting the emergency stop button and ceasing the platform. Farrah looked to him angrily as he moved to wrench the doors apart.

"What are you doing!" Farrah growled, floating behind him as he just barely pushed the doors apart.

"I'm in no mood to fight with your mother…" Ace stated sternly, looking back at the ghost girl, "Not yet."

"Before you run back to your precious Advent," Farrah hissed, phasing through his body and sending a paralyzing and icy chill down his spine, "Look to the book…Cyclonis didn't have a vision for nothing…"

"Fine…" Ace growled, lifting the book from off of the platform floor where he had dropped it. There was a page marked, folded at the corner, just where Cyclonis had left it, and the tome fell open directly to that page, "Dar'Khan's reliquary of fallen souls?" Ace whispered, reading the text aloud to himself, "Where have I seen this before?"

"It belongs to my mother," Farrah stated, looking over his shoulder at the pages of the book, "For now that is…"

"By the gods!" Ace shouted, "I knew it! I knew there was more to this tournament than meets the eye!" He growled, hitting the emergency stop button once again, re-activating the platform and it continued to ascend, "Let's pay Cypress a visit." Ace growled, crossing his arms. However, before he did so, he tore the informative pages about the reliquary from the volume and tucked them away in his tunic before the platform stopped and they both exited the elevator chamber. They headed down the hallway but as Ace headed in one direction, Farrah drifted towards another.

"Where are you going?" Ace asked, "The owner's box is this way…"

"I know," Farrah smiled, with a nod, "But follow me…" She guided him to the opposite side of the higher most level of the arena. There was a large, blocked off portion opposite the owner's box. Farrah gestured him to follow her inside of the enclosed room. She phased through the walls, and opened the doors from inside. Ace stepped into the room and noted the reliquary sitting on a pedestal in the middle of the blackened room, the physical image of what he had seen on the pages of the old volume.

"So she's using this to gain more power…" Ace stated, turning to Farrah, "The more people defeated in this tournament…the stronger she'll get…"

"Exactl-" Farrah began.

"So you've figured out my little plan," A voice laughed, interrupting Farrah from behind the pair. They turned around and of course, who else but Cypress was there to face them, "Luckily I am in tune with my reliquary…and it let me know that there was an outsider in its presence…And it also senses that you and I are not alone Anteres…So…who is with you?" She demanded, staring at him darkly.

"I'm surprised you can't tell," Ace replied contemptuously, "She's right next to me."

"Enough jokes," Cypress hissed, extending her hand forward and calling the reliquary to her as it flew from the pedestal and into her hand, "Yes…whatever you do know about the reliquary of fallen souls, it does make me stronger…stronger than you can comprehend Dark Ace!"

"I know that the more souls within it," Ace snapped, unsheathing his blade, "The stronger you get! And once I tell Advent, we're going to put a stop to this tournament of yours."

"Oh don't think so…" Cypress smiled, "Not only do I get stronger the more souls I obtain, but I also get a nice little boost based on the strength of the warrior. I mean…if I really just needed souls, I would kill ten thousand useless peons…"

"W-wait!" Ace exclaimed.

"I think you know where I'm going with this," Cypress smiled, as she snapped her fingers. At that moment, several shadowy hands came out from the walls, seizing Ace by the wrists and ankles. He struggled to break free, but before he could Cypress moved towards him, "Before I steal your soul…" She stated, holding the reliquary up to her eye level. A thin, smoky, white light rushed into the room like a flowing river, and was sucked into the reliquary, "Ah…as it would appear the fight between Starling and Snipe is over…and your little girlfriend won…but you won't be seeing your friend anymore."

"You bitch!" Ace spat, struggling to break from the shadowy hands grip, "Let them go!"

"I don't think so," Cypress smiled, "Once I have your soul, Aerrow's, Finn's, Sora's, _and_ Advent's…I will be unstoppable." She stated, holding the reliquary to Ace's face. The relic began to glow green and Ace began to scream as the same thin, white smoky light was drawn from his body by the reliquary, flowing out of his body by his mouth and into the reliquary. Ace fell to the ground, still living, but his body hollow and lifeless without a soul. Cypress let out a cold laugh as she turned and walked out of the room, uncaring that she was being watched.

"NO!" Farrah screamed, though no one could hear her, as she rushed up to Ace's soulless body, "NO NO NO!" She cried, burying her head into her shoulder, "How did she know we were here!"

"What the hell!" A voice shouted. Farrah looked up and noticed that Carver was standing above Ace's soulless body. Farrah floated away from his body as Carver checked to see if Ace was still alive. He felt that Ace still had a pulse but had no idea where to go from here, "Cloud will murder me if I take him to the infirmary like this…"

"Don't think about what that damned Druid will do!" Farrah hissed, still knowing full well that he could not hear her, "Curse this undead state…" But regardless, Carver lifted Ace off of the ground and carried him out of the room.

* * *

"Its time for our next match to begin!" The MC then shouted, "Anaxagoras and Stork please make your way to the arena!"

"Stork!" The doctor called, just before he could head down to the arena platform, "Do be careful." She sighed, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"He's going to kill me…" Stork groaned dismally as he looked down on to the arena floor, "I'm doomed…"

"No you're not," the Doctor smiled, taking his face in her hands and pulling him towards her to look her in the eye, "I have confidence in you. But it's now or never…if you aren't down there in the next minuet, you forfeit."

"I suppose the Merb from those pathetic Twilight Knights is afraid to fight me," Anaxagoras laughed, looking around at the empty arena, "I can't say I'm surprised though…all that lousy lower life form is good for is steering carriers and that's about it!" He continued to laugh.

"Uhm…" The MC began, scratching her head, "If Stork fails to come to the arena within the next minuet, he forfeit's the match and Anaxagoras is the winner by default."

"Tck…" Anaxagoras scoffed, throwing his hair out of his face, "Figures…he won't face me…so, stop me if you've heard this one…how many Merbs does it take to-" Anaxagoras began tauntingly, just before being interrupted by a green foot in his face.

"Just one," Stork replied as the audience roared and cheered.


	49. Chapter 12: Round Three, Part III

**[Message from Kingdom Come]: **Hey world! Another update and thus the end of the first half of the finals! I haven't been sleeping like…at all lately, and with the recent contest I've been running, I've been inspired to write some more RoT! If you didn't know about the contest, but are interested, the deadline for writing submissions has been extended until the 12th of October, so you still have like...two days to write a piece for the contest. Unfortunately it is all done through deviantArt, so if you don't have a page, you can't really participate. Anyway, the link to my dA account is on my profile (it's like the first thing you see). I hope some of you quiet people out there who read but don't review participate because that would be cool :3 Anyway! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter XII.

Round Three (Part III)

_Welcome back to all you folks at home to Inside Atmos! And wow! It has been crazy here in Lumina City these past days. I'm Stormy Skies coming to you live outside of the Lumina Arena where the eighth fight of the final round will be commencing shortly. Ever since the jaw-dropping draw between Aida Caylo and the Dark Ace, there are only nine spots left, making the competition even more fierce!_

_And what a group of competitors too! I think I can speak for everyone in Atmos when I say that Stork is the little merb that could! Naturally one would think the little disappearing act he pulled in round two wouldn't work a second time, but boy were we all surprised when he vanished again during his fight with Anaxagoras! He took the imperial general completely by surprise. I guess you could say that not even he…saw that coming! Haha!_

_Our next match should be even more interesting. It's Dove the rebel traitor versus Finn, the marksman. It seems like everyone wrote off these two misfits from the start, but Finn proved to us all that blondes do in fact have brains! And let's not forget about Dove! From the moment we saw this little champ from terra gale, let's face it, we all thought the pot and pan armored fighter was doomed from the start. But after one impressive match, she really caught the audience's attention. And apparently master Cypress' as well!_

_These fights are shaping up to be not only quite the match-ups, but quite the show too! I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say, I can't wait for the rest of the fights to start! I've been Stormy Skies, and this has been Inside Atmos! Back to you, Guy!_

* * *

"Fighter's ready!" The MC shouted from upon her platform.

"Are you sure about all this Advent?" Aerrow asked as they all watched Finn and Dove step out on to the floor, "I mean…Finn is not the best fighter…and Dove seems different."

"Of course she's different," Advent whispered softly to herself.

"What?" Aerrow asked, turning to her.

"You're all different," Advent then stated more clearly, "Everyone's been acting strangely since this tournament started…and I want to know why…I believe that this fight may hold the answer to what's going on here. Because I think that Anteres may have been right all along about this tournament."

"Speaking of the Dark Ace," Aerrow began, looking around the spectator's box, "Where is he? He left during the last fight and never came back."

"That's a good question," Advent replied sternly, crossing her arms, and looking around as well. She then noticed that the book that Cyclonis had brought to her from her library had gone missing, _What on earth?_ Advent thought, wondering where the book had gone. Suddenly, the door to the box had flung open, and Cloud was standing in the door frame, looking as though she was about to burst into tears.

"W-We have a situation!" She exclaimed, trying not to cry.

"Cloud!" Advent began, "What on Atmos is-"

"It's Anteres!" She wailed, as she could suppress her tears no longer, "H-he i-is i-in t-the m-m-medical ward!" She cried.

"I'll go," Aerrow stated quietly, placing his hand on Advent's shoulder. She nodded and gestured for him to follow after Cloud.

"Wait!" Starling exclaimed as the two moved to leave, "I'm…I'm coming with you!"

"What the hell is going on here Advent?" Nova asked solemnly, as she turned to her leader. Advent said nothing, she just watched out of the window of the spectator's box as the fight between Dove and Finn commenced.

"Now Dove!" Finn exclaimed, shaking a little and trying to sound brave, "I-I don't want to fight you! But I…I-"

"Oh come on Finn," The pseudo-Dove began, walking towards him with her head tilted to the side, "Afraid of a little girl like me…"

"I knew it!" Finn shouted, jumping back away from her, "You aren't Dove! Dove has an accent! Not to mention…your…your eyes…" He stated with a shiver. After all, her eyes were now glazed and black, almost like a deep black chasm, looking though him.

"Gee," The Dove imposter smiled, circling her neck around as it made a hideous cracking noise, "You're pretty smart…it only took you Twilight Knights this long to figure it out…" She laughed quietly as a dark grayish substance seemed to creep out from under the fabric of her new imperial uniform and cover every inch of her once pale skin.

_What do I do! What do I do!_ Finn thought frantically as the Dove imposter moved closer towards him, seemingly floating, _Think Finn…what would Aerrow or Advent do…oh wait…that's right, they're both a lot stronger than me…I'm gonna die…_

"Come on Finn!" Sora shouted from the stands, "You can do this! You didn't beat your best friend just to lose to Dove!"

"Sora's right!" Finn exclaimed, taking a step towards the imposter, who didn't look at all intimidated by him.

"Oh please," Dove laughed, rushing up to Finn and backhanding him, knocking him down to the ground, "You were doomed from the start! Barely an asset to the Storm Hawks and more like a liability to the Twilight Knights! Face it…you're a weak and useless, cowardly little worm-" She continued before being kicked in the jaw with enough force to throw her body up into the air. She came crashing to the arena floor.

"Now get up and call me weak again!" Finn shouted, staring at Dove, still on the ground from across the arena, "That's what I thought! Now pick your sorry ass up and try fighting a real twi-" Finn began, only to shut his mouth once Dove instantly jumped back to her feet. She cracked her neck and then looked back towards the boy, looking unaffected by the attack.

"Huh…" She replied, looking down, unimpressed at her blackened fingernails, "Well…that happened…anyway…What was it that you were saying Finn?"

"Oh no…" Finn gulped.

"That's what I thought," She replied with a dark smile. In the blink of an eye, she was at the opposite side of the arena, inches away from Finn. She thrust her knee into his abdomen and slammed her elbow down into his spine. Finn let out a howl of pain just as Dove seized him by the collar of his uniform and threw him up to his feet. It was then when she began to continually throw her fist into his abdomen, laying hit after hit into him.

"She'll kill him!" Sora exclaimed, looking down at the arena floor.

"It does look like Finn is done for," Ravess replied with a slight sigh as she looked down at the scene.

"Get off!" Finn coughed, mustering up the strength to push her back and break free from the attack. He reached for his crossbow, but didn't get much of a chance to use it. He went to pull the trigger, but before he could get a clear shot off, Dove rushed back up to him, throwing yet another sharp and hard punch into his abdomen, and knocking the crossbow out of his hands, _She's so fast!_ Finn thought as he collapsed to his knees, _How am I supposed to compete!_

"You won't be needing this anymore," She laughed, stepping down on the weapon. She pushed her leg harder until the crossbow began to snap, and eventually shattered underneath her feet, "As if you weren't useless enough now…you've got no weapon."

_I should just spare myself the humiliation and surrender…_ Finn thought miserably as Dove headed towards him.

_Finn! _A voice snapped, resounding in his head, _Listen to me!_ It continued

_What!_ Finn thought, rising to his feet, as so he could escape Dove's quick clutches, _What's going on! Who is this!_

_It's Jevanni!_ The voice then chirped _You know! Envoy to the Great Goddess, Queen of the Valkyries! I'm communicating with you telepathically. The Goddess herself has asked me to step in and help you! Your friend Stork has already discovered his hidden Guardian power, and it looks like you could use it about now!_

_You're not kidding!_ Finn thought nervously,_ Wait…was that how Stork was able to turn invisible!_

_That's not important right now!_ Jevanni snapped as her voice echoed through Finn's head, _Listen to me very carefully. Take your arms and aim towards Dove like you're about to fire a bow and arrow._

_What!_ Finn thought nervously.

_Just do it!_ Jevanni snapped. Finn took a gulp and trembling slightly he raised his left arm as though he was holding a bow, and pulled his right arm back with his hand up by his face, just as though he was about to fire an arrow and just as Jevanni had instructed him. _Very good Finn! Now focus! Clear your mind and focus all of your energy._

…_What! _Finn thought, feeling like a fool as the audience, his remaining teammates, and Dove watched him with odd expressions on their faces.

_Just do it! _Jevanni replied. Finn took a deep breath, and to the best of his abilities, he cleared his mind.

"Is this some kind of joke!" Dove growled, moving to rush towards him again. However, it was then when his arms began to glow a faint white. And just where he had been focusing, the blinding white outline of a longbow and an arrow had appeared, "W-What is this!" She growled.

"No idea!" Finn exclaimed with a slight laugh. He pointed the arrow back towards Dove and released the bowstring. She smirked as the glowing arrow came flying towards her and she jumped out of the way.

"So much for your little magic show," She laughed, as she watched the bright white longbow disappear in almost a puff of light, "But it looks like you used your one shot…and as for me, well I-" She continued, before being interrupted by the bright white arrow plunging through her chest. Dove stood still and quivered for a moment, wondering how the arrow had hit her, but it didn't matter, because she then collapsed to her knees, and then disappeared in a flash of light.

"Finn is the winner and is moving on in the finals!" The MC shouted cheerily as the Audience roared and cheered.

"W-what just happened?" Finn laughed slightly, while shaking at the same time, not really sure what had happened, or how he had managed to win the fight.

* * *

"Nova," Advent began, walking over to her companion. She stood, overlooking the arena floor, watching the audience impatiently awaiting the next round to begin. She and Advent were practically alone, but none the less, it still felt like they were being watched, "I'm curious to know your strategy for this match. Surely you don't intend on facing Meno head on?"

"That was the plan entirely," Nova replied, removing the gun from her holster, "Meno is most likely expecting me to have some sort of convoluted plan or course of action…A head on attack would just surprise her."

"I disagree," Advent replied sternly, crossing her arms as Nova stepped on to the platform, "You're such a headstrong woman Nova, that I believe you having a plan would be the _last _thing she'd expect…"

"You think I should have thought this through?" Nova snapped, turning around to face her master.

"As a matter of fact I do," Advent replied, raising an eyebrow, and truthfully, not exactly pleased with Nova's behavior towards her at the moment.

"This isn't your fight Advent, it's mine!" Nova growled, giving her a dark look, "You can plan your battles to a T as much as you'd like, but as far as I go, you can't tell me what to do anymore! Stop second guessing me and stop judging me! I'm your second in command for god's sake!" She snapped just before the platform began to descend to the arena floor.

"Fine," Advent snapped under her breath as she turned away from the arena and headed back into the stands, "I'm done trying to help…"

"Fighters!" The MC then called, her voice echoing throughout the entire stadium, "Are you ready!"

"I can't believe you even had the audacity to show up Nova," Meno laughed as she stepped off of the platform and on to the floor, "I must say I'm pleasantly surprised."

"Shove it Meno," Nova replied, walking towards her, "You knew I'd never back out…with steaks this high that is."

"Well I'm offering you a once in a lifetime opportunity now," Meno replied, looking down at her fingernails, seeming uninterested, "Submit to defeat now, and spare yourself from being humiliated."

"Yeah all your other teammates said that," Nova laughed, "And in case you haven't noticed, you and Cypress are the only members of your team who are left…and I'm pretty that after our fight, it's going to be down to just her against us."

"Watch your clever mouth, bitch!" Meno snapped. She unsheathed her blade and dove towards Nova. Nova let out a slight laugh as she ducked out of her nemesis' way. Meno threw her body around and looked towards Nova, but before she could attack again, Nova slammed her heel into Meno's side, knocking her to the ground.

"As if!" Nova laughed, shoving Meno's face into the ground, and pinning her against the floor, "You've been hiding behind Cypress ever since she got her body back!"

"Shut up!" Meno shrieked, flailing around and trying to throw Nova off of her, "I'm just as powerful as her!"

"That's not what I see from down here," Nova laughed, a little sadistically. Advent watched the fight curiously, raising an eyebrow. Nova had never been quite so cruel. Always harsh, but never cruel. Meno kicked and thrashed, bucking like a wild horse in an attempt to throw Nova off of her. She summoned all of her strength and threw the Valkyrie across the arena floor. Nova immediately sprung back to her feet as did Meno. Both women stood on opposite sides of the arena, staring each other down.

"You'll regret that," Meno hissed as the two women began circling one another in the arena, "No one disrespects an Imperial Officer in such a way."

"Times are changing," Nova smirked, flipping her hair gently out of her face.

_Enough of this nonsense!_ A voice hissed, echoing through Meno's head, _Finish her before I do the job for you!_

"Yes of course Master…" Meno replied to Cypress, pointing the end of her blade directly at Nova. In an act of defiance, Meno then flicked her wrist down towards the arena floor, releasing her grip on the hilt as the blade of the sword pierced the ground and stood upright.

"I won't be needing this to defeat you," Meno smiled, shaking her head as she crossed her arms and began playing the waiting game.

"Is this some kind of joke!" Nova growled, holding both of her guns out towards Meno.

"Please," Meno replied, rolling her eyes, "You can't expect me to believe that you stand a chance with those pea shooters…"

"I got twelve shots," Nova smiled, "That's eleven more than I'll need!" She shouted, rushing towards Meno. Nova pointed both guns out in front of her and pulled the trigger, but as the bullets when firing from the barrels, Meno disappeared in the blink of an eye, "What the-" Nova exclaimed.

"Too slow…" Meno laughed, slamming her elbow into Nova's side. She let out a growl of pain as one of her guns flew from her hands and went skidding across the arena floor. Meno then seized Nova by the roots of her lengthy azure hair, and threw her down to the ground, face first. Nova coughed and sputtered for a moment, only to be kicked while she was down in the head by Meno. She laughed and rolled her eyes as she took the gun that Nova had dropped and pointed it down at her, "This was almost too easy…" She laughed as she stepped down on Nova's chest and moved to pull the trigger.

"No…I won't end like this!" Nova shouted, seizing Meno by her ankle and throwing her to the ground beside her. Nova rolled to her feet and once again, the two women were facing one another in the arena.

"You won't win this Nova," Meno growled, aiming the gun towards Nova from across the floor.

"You talk big Meno!" Nova shouted in response, "But I don't think you have what it takes to take me down!"

"You're right!" Meno laughed, rushing up to her. Nova held her gun up towards her, but at the risk of wasting a shot, she waited for the opportune moment. But before she could get a moment to aim, she found herself blocking a swift jab from Meno, and the two women, with guns in hand, were locked arm in arm, trying to outlast the other, "I don't have what it takes…"

"Why would you admit that!" Nova spat, trying to push Meno back.

"Because I know someone who does…" Meno smiled darkly as she closed her eyes for a moment. She began to glow a pale white color and where Meno had once been standing, Snipe was now before her.

"W-what is this!" Nova exclaimed, pushing the pseudo-Snipe away from her.

"Nova!" Advent shouted from the stands, "Focus! Meno is a shape shifter! Remember that!"

"Advent's right!" Nova exclaimed, snapping out of her momentary trance, "I've got to-" She began before being interrupted by a loud banging noise. Nova looked down, and in the middle of her torso, was a small bullet hole, which was now bleeding profusely. She then looked back up to the image of her lover, holding her gun, which was smoking at the end. In a flash of dim light, Meno had reverted back to her old self as she blew away the smoke from the barrel.

"A nice little distraction shape shifting can be," Meno smiled, looking down to Nova. She threw the gun back in her direction as Nova collapsed to her feet, "And this was a much more fitting end…don't you think?" Meno replied with a slight laugh.

"Hehe…" Nova laughed, holding her bleeding torso as she coughed a small pool of blood on to the ground in front of her, "Joke's on you Meno…" Nova laughed. But before she could finish her statement, she disappeared in a flash of white light.

* * *

"I don't think things in this tournament can get much worse," Finn stated, a little gloomily as the remaining members of Team Twilight convened in the hospital wing. Those who remained, stood around a nearby slab where the Dark Ace was laying, motionless with his eyes shut, much like a corpse, but still alive.

"Yeah things seem pretty grim right now," Aerrow stated with a slight sigh, "But the good news is, is that the last six of us are moving on to the last round."

"Good enough for now," Ravess interjected, "But we've still got the Meno problem. We can't have her getting into our heads like she did to Nova."

"And what happened down there with Nova anyway?" Starling asked, turning to the others, "Perhaps it was just me, but she was somehow different."

"No," Aerrow replied, shaking his head, "Something's been getting into all of us…when I was down in that arena, fighting Skyler, it was like something had changed."

"It doesn't really matter now anyway," Ravess stated, crossing her arms, "Advent faces Cypress in this fight. And what if she doesn't win? Where will we be then?"

"How dare you!" Sora exclaimed, turning to Ravess, "How could you think that Advent doesn't stand a chance! She's one of the most powerful people-"

"She's not saying that Sora," Starling sighed, placing a hand on the teen's shoulder, "And I hate to say it, but Ravess has a really good point."

"Damn right she does," A voice called from behind the group. The five figures turned around to see Carver standing close behind with Cloud, Stork, and the Doctor in tow.

"What do you want Carver?" Finn growled, jumping to attack him much like a small dog.

"Back off kid," Carver scoffed, pushing him out if the way, "I'm not here to fight…and as if you could take me…you got lucky in your last match."

"Trust us," Doctor Constantine scoffed, "We tried keeping him out…"

"Listen," Carver began, crossing his arms and moving directly towards Aerrow, "Something is definitely up…and I'm beginning to question the integrity of my so-called Master myself."

"Because you're such an honorable person right?" Starling growled, turning away and giving him the cold shoulder.

"Shut it Starling," Carver growled, turning back to Aerrow, "Listen…Cypress did something to the Dark Ace…what I don't know, but I have a feeling it's what's been happening to the other fighters."

"Listen Carver," Ravess snapped, stepping out in front of him, "We don't need you getting in our heads before the fights! I bet Cypress sent you here anyway-"

"Wait," Aerrow interrupted, stepping out in front of her, "What do you mean by _the other fighters_?"

"Don't you think it's odd that none of the surviving losers are here?" Carver stated, crossing his arms.

"I thought they we're just sent away," Starling stated, looking down at the ground with a newfound concern, "You know…till the end of the tournament."

"So did I," Carver stated, "But I saw something that-"

"Pray tell," the cold voice of an unfriendly being stated, "Carver…what did you see?"

"Master Cypress!" Carver stated nervously, turning around to view the dark entity, "What are you doing here?"

"The match between myself and my little sister is set to begin soon," Cypress stated darkly, "I came to wish her good luck…after all…" She stated darkly, letting her pale hand touch the surface of the reliquary hanging on her hip, "She's going to need it. I, however, could ask the same of you Carver?" Carver made no effort to respond, which the other couldn't tell if this made Cypress angry or if she was just flustered to begin with. Cypress clenched her fists. She turned away from them and began to make her way out of the hospital wing, "I've no time for games…When you do see Advent, tell her that I am waiting in the ring."

"What was that about?" Ravess demanded, turning to Carver.

"Like I have a clue," Carver replied harshly.

"Don't you work for her!" Cloud exclaimed angrily.

"Oh c'mon!" Carver scoffed, rolling his eyes at all of them, "You act like she tells us anything. Cypress tells us to jump, and you can sure as hell bet we all jump, no questions asked and that's just how Cypress likes it."

"That seems to be a common trait amongst the Dawnrunners," Doctor Constantinr stated, crossing her arms.

"You're preaching to the choir on that one," Ravess added, thinking back to the time when she worked for Cyclonis.

"…Advent's match is set to start any minuet," Cloud stated with a slight sigh as all of the attendants turned to the monitors hanging in the hospital wing.

"Then we should go," Aerrow stated, "I'm not afraid of being disqualified, and I want to be up there if Advent needs us."

"Right!" The remaining combatants stated with a nod as they all followed Aerrow out of the hospital wing and back up to their spectator's box.

"If you'd excuse me," The Doctor began, turning to Cloud, "But Aida's asked me to assist him with the Captain's prosthetic surgery…I know that I'm leaving Anteres in capable hands though." She smiled, placing her hand on Cloud's shoulder just before leaving. Cloud let out a sigh as she glided over to Ace's side and gripped one of his cold and motionless hands.

"He's not going to wake up," Carver stated, a little grimly, walking behind her. Cloud snapped back to reality, forgetting Carver was still in the room.

"What are you still doing here?" Cloud snapped, not bothering to look at him. She stayed, unmoving and stuck at Ace's bedside, gripping his hand with both of hers.

"Listen," Carver began, kneeling down next to her, "It doesn't matter even if he did suddenly wake up…Just because you've spent every minuet next to him isn't going to stop him from running into the arms of that purple-haired twat once he wakes up."

"How dare you say that about Starling!" Cloud snapped, turning to him, "She's a good woman and a good friend…even if…even if she is my replacement."

"See," Carver began with a sly and charming smile, masking his somewhat devious intentions, "Even you see it the same way I do. In my opinion…" He began, brushing the hair out of Cloud's face, and gently pulling her hands away from Ace's, "You're too good for the likes of him…"

"No," Cloud replied immediately, pulling away from him, "You're wrong. He's just-" But before she could finish, the voice of the MC came echoing through the speakers of the monitor in the hospital wing.

"Here we go ladies and gentlemen!" She shouted into the microphone as Carver and Cloud turned their attention to the monitor, "The match you've all been waiting for! Master Cypress and her younger sister, the elusive Advent!"

"You know it's not too late for you to back out of this sister," Cypress began with a cold and confident smile as she and Advent headed across the arena floor and towards one another.

"I think not Cypress," Advent stated, meeting Cypress in the middle of the ring, "You remember the terms of our engagement?" Advent inquired, looking straight through her sister, unafraid.

"No magic," Cypress smiled, removing her long and flowing black robes to reveal her skin-tight black uniform underneath. Both women unsheathed their rapiers and held them up vertically before one another, "No science, no flying. Just the blades of two sisters."

"Good," Advent stated, glaring past the edge of the blade towards Cypress.

"Are you scared Advent?" Cypress jeered with a slight laugh.

"You only wish," Advent whispered sternly.

"-And Fight!" The MC shouted, giving the two women the command to begin. Their blades clashed together, as a fountain of sparks arose from the colliding metal.

There was no denying that both women were trained in the art of swordsmanship. Their footwork was impeccable, and it didn't seem to matter that neither of them could land a hit on one another. Their fight was more like a well choreographed dance, and it kept the audience enthralled.

"You're not even trying!" Advent exclaimed as her blade collided with her sister's once again as the metal began to grind against each other.

"Of course not!" Cypress laughed, spinning around, and making an attempt to strike her sister in the side. Advent ducked out of the way just in time, and thrust her blade towards her sister in defense, but unfortunately Cypress was just as quick, "That's because you aren't trying either."

"There's only so much damage you can do with a sword," Advent smiled confidently as the two women began to circle each other from a distance.

"Now now Advent…" Cypress smiled, "I'm not that foolish. Me without a crystal to use for a runeologic reaction, and with your knowledge of the arcane…that wouldn't be a fair fight, now would it?"

"Who said life was fair," Advent smiled, extending her hand outward as it began to glow a pale bluish color. Cypress' rapier then began to glow as well as it was wrenched from her hands and pulled into her sisters. Advent smiled confidently as she pointed the ends of both blades at her sister, "I'd say this is checkmate for you Cypress."

"Not hardly," Cypress smiled, holding her arm out to her side, with her hand open. Her body began to glow a deep and dark green as the mysterious relic known as the reliquary appeared in her hand, "You want to break the rules of your own engagement…fine, but don't expect me to oblige."

"Your tournament remember?" Advent growled, still holding both blades in her hands, "There are no rules!"

"I've had enough of you!" Cypress shouted, securing the reliquary at her hips. The relic began to emanate a thick green glowing vapor that took the form of two whips in both of her hands.

"Your smoke and mirrors tricks won't scare me anymore sister," Advent scoffed, looking down at the darkly ethereal weapons.

"Mock me all you want Advent," Cypress laughed, "But faced with the raw power of me and my reliquary at this point, and you don't stand a chance." She chided, snapping the twin whips in her sister's direction. Advent stepped out of the way of the first, but the second just cracked against her skin, creating a thin, dark, and bloody line on her left cheek. Advent stumbled back for a moment and touched the small wound on her face. It immediately healed before both of their eyes, and the audience's.

"Impossible!" Cypress exclaimed, swinging both whips at her sister. They caught Advent by both of her wrists, restraining her. Cypress pulled on the whips in opposite directions, pulling Advent's arms apart and practically out if their sockets, "How do you have your invulnerability back!"

"Jevanni," Advent growled, trying to resist the pull being done to her arms. Although, it did seem as though Cypress was physically and inhumanly stronger than before, "She restored it to me just before your siege of Atmos."

"Damn you!" Cypress shouted, pulling forward on the whips and dragging Advent down to the ground. She immediately jumped back to her feet and held both swords out in front of her. Cypress let out a growl as her vaporous whips dissipated and reformed into a large broadsword.

"So where do we stand now Cypress?" Advent asked with a solemn look on her face, "Two immortals locked in a fight to the death."

"This is foolish!" Cypress screamed, thrusting the materialized broadsword forward. The end of the blade punctured through Advent's skin and dove through the rest of her torso. She stood lifeless for a moment, just hanging where she stood as Cypress smiled wickedly. She twisted the massive sword to the side while it was still embedded in her sister's body as Advent let out a scream of pain. Advent lowered her head for a moment, seemingly lost, and coughing up a sizable pool of blood on to the ground before her. Cypress smiled darkly and was about to remove the blade from her body when suddenly she heard Advent laughing, "What the hell is so funny!" Cypress screamed.

"What part of," Advent laughed, taking a step forward, and pushing her body deeper into the blade's edge, "_Invulnerability_ did you not grasp sister?" She laughed, her head still hanging as her torso touched against the hilt of the sword. She looked up at Cypress with a dark little smile of her own and laughed as she noted the panicked look on her sister's face. Advent let out one last little laugh, splashing a little bit of her own blood on to her sister's face just before she thrust both rapiers into Cypress' chest.

Cypress stood motionless, looking down at the two swords embedded in her body. She released her grip on the materialized broadsword, and the blade dissolved back into the thin green vapor which receded back into the reliquary. Advent smiled at her sister as she collapsed to one knee, if just for a moment, gripping the gaping wound in her stomach which was now healing shut.

Cypress let out a growl of anger as she pulled the two swords from her chest and threw them to the ground. Unlike her younger sister, her wounds did not heal so quickly. The same greenish vapor came from the reliquary again, but this time went to Cypress' wounds, healing what damage that had been done. Advent looked to her sister curiously, lifting her rapier off of the ground.

"I think I understand now," Advent stated, looking down at the reliquary, "That relic of yours…"

"Silence!" Cypress commanded, taking a step away from her sister. Advent knew, from looking into her sister's eyes that for the first time in her life, Cypress had felt a twinge of fear for her immortal soul, "I can see here that there can be no clear winner to this match regardless."

"You are surrendering…" Advent stated, unlocking from her swordsman's stance and looking over to her sister,

"Surrender…" Cypress scoffed, shaking her head, "To you…never…But rather a draw…I see no purpose in two figures as powerful as us trying to do away with one another in such a setting as this."

"For once," Advent replied with a slight laugh, spitting on the ground next to her, "I am in agreement with you."

The two sisters walked to the center of the ring. They extended their hands forward and reluctantly shook. Both turned away from one another, and to Advent's shock and surprise, Cypress did not try to strike her while her back was turned. The audience began to mumble and murmur as the two women headed out of the arena. They were sure that everyone was wondering why they had both decided to submit. Advent however, knew that even though she had the opportunity to defeat her sister, there would have been potential lives lost had both of them used their full potential. Advent headed on to the levitating platform to carry her out of the arena. She knew she would have to answer questions for sure.

_Advent,_ She then heard echo through her mind

_Mother!_ Advent replied in her own thoughts, as she looked around the arena for any sign of Jevanni.

_You can breathe easy…I'm not actually here,_ Jevanni replied, with a slight sigh, _Not yet anyway…_

_What do you mean?_ Advent asked, sounding slightly concerned.

_I mean that something bad is about to happen,_ Jevanni stated.

_Something bad is always about to happen,_ Advent replied lethargically, _That's never caused you to intervene before…so…what's changed?_


	50. Chapter 13: The Final Round

Chapter XIII.

The Final Round.

"Is it ready or not?" Captain Scabulous demanded as Aida sat a silver case down next to the operating table where he lay.

"It's ready," Aida smiled, lifting the mechanical arm out of the case with a slight smile, "Just like I had promised. Don't thank me just yet though, there are still some things we have to discuss." Aida stated, lifting the arm up to the Captain's socket. Aida took in a deep breath, and so did the captain. Aida thrust the mechanical arm into the socket as the Captain let out a loud scream of pain.

"GOD DAMN IT!" He shouted, slamming his fist down on the table beside him.

"Linking your nerves to the system hurts," Aida shrugged, acting as if he had experienced it before, "You ought to know that."

"What did you need to tell me?" The Captain asked, noting the clock on the wall. It was nearly eight, which means the next fight would be starting soon.

"Listen," Aida explained as Captain Scabulous began to move his arm around, getting used to the feel of it, "The metal that your new arm is comprised of is almost thirty pounds lighter than the metal used in your old arm. This will increase the maneuverability in your arm, but decrease its durability, so just be careful out there and try not to throw it in harm's way."

"I thank you Aida Caylo," The Captain replied with a nod, "But if you'll excuse me, I've been gone from this tournament for far too long…" He stated, pushing past Aida and heading out of the hospital wing.

"Wait!" Aida shouted, chasing after him, "I'm no doctor, but in your condition, it's probably not the best idea to be up and moving just yet! You should be staying as inactive as possible until the match."

"I'll decide what's best for me thank you!" Captain Scabulous scoffed, turning to Aida, "As for you, Caylo, I thank you, but you've done your part." He concluded, just before walking out of the wing.

"What's with the straight men of Atmos being so goddamn stubborn?" Aida sighed, shaking his head.

Meanwhile, Scabulous headed out of the hospital wing and down the corridors of the lowermost level of the arena. He headed on to the platform and ascended to the arena floor level. He stepped off of the platform and into the hall where he found seven other figures standing in the lowermost archway, leading out on to the arena floor.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The MC shouted as the eight fighters stepped out on to the arena floor. The audience cheered and roared with anticipation as the fighters stood in the center of the right, "I am proud to present to you our ten…er-eight finalists!"

"This is it you guys," Aerrow whispered, turning to those who remained in his team. They turned to look at him, and then turned back to the MC.

"The matches will go as follows!" The MC shouted, turning to the monitor behind her. Eight squares appeared on the large monitor, four on each side, facing opposite one another. In the first set of squares that paralleled appeared the photos of Ravess and Stork, followed by Aerrow and Finn, then Sora and Starling, then Meno and Scabulous, "By the end of today there will be only four competitors left! Our first match will commence with Ravess against Stork, both from the former team twilight! The first match will begin in one hour! Good luck to you all!"

"Good luck out there Stork," Starling smiled, placing her hand on his shoulder as they began to head off of the arena floor.

"You're gonna be great dude," Finn smiled turning to the greenish merb once they all had exited the arena floor.

"Yeah…" Stork grumbled, looking down at the floor, "Great…sure…" He sighed, wondering if he could stop in and see the Doctor before his match.

_How did I get myself this deep!_ Stork thought, somewhat panicked as he leaned on to a nearby wall, _I should have just surrendered in an earlier match! If I can beat Anaxagoras I can beat Ravess…but what if I have to fight Aerrow? Or Meno! I wouldn't stand a chance in hell! Oh who am I kidding…I don't stand a chance at all at this point…I beat Anaxagoras by a fluke with this…weird…new thing I can do, that and a sheer miracle!_

"Stork," Ravess called from behind, causing the lanky merb to jump about two feet into the air, "Good God…don't have a damn heart attack…"

"What is it," Stork immediately inquired, shaking his head as he looked down at the ground.

"I have a proposal for you," Ravess stated with a slight smile, "Surrender to me during our match today."

"What?" Stork demanded, turning around fully to face her.

"I simply mean it can only benefit us both," Ravess began, placing her arm around Stork as she began to walk him down towards the elevator platform, "This way, you won't have to fight in the tournament any longer, and I'll get to move on to fight in the next match. It's a win, win for both of us!"

"So," Stork began, raising an eyebrow as he turned to her, just before stepping on the platform, "You're proposing that I quit?"

"Quit is such a negative word," Ravess replied with a shrug, "But yes. This way, neither of us will be worn for the next match and either way, a Twilight Knight is moving on to the last round. It might as well be the more capable of the two."

"Then in that case," Stork replied, baiting Ravess a little as he hit the keys on the elevator platform, "May the best twilight knight win." He smirked, just as the platform began to descend.

_No big deal…_Stork thought as the elevator platform headed downward toward the hospital wing, _I can fight Ravess…no pressure…I'm screwed…_

"Stork," Aida chimed curiously as the platform doors then opened just outside the hospital wing, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be preparing for your match?"

"I came to see Lenora," Stork stated, sounding a little nervous.

"You mean the Doctor?" Aida asked, looking around the wide open wing, "I think she's back in one of those rooms." He stated, nodding towards the backmost portion of the ward, where several doors lined each side of the wall. He walked to the back of the wing and looked through the small windows on the doors and noticed the doctor standing before a desk, looking over what appeared to be files. He gently pushed open the door and in a panic, she shuffled the papers into a filing folder and held it tightly in her arms.

"Goodness!" the Doctor gasped, "You gave me a fright…Sorry…your match is set to start soon isn't it."

"Yeah," Stork nodded with a slight, nervous laugh, "I had hoped-"

"I know," The doctor interrupted placing her two fingers on the merb's lips before he could continue. She dropped her file to the ground and pulled him into her, kissing him on the lips, "Good luck out there." She smiled once she let him go. Stork wasn't really sure what to say. He just gave a smile back in response as the doctor pushed him away and sent him out of the wing.

"Huh…" Stork whispered, catching a glimpse at the dropped files that the doctor had let go of. All he noted was the words: _Hadley, F_. and _Positive_.

I wonder what that's about?

He thought, just before leaving the hospital wing, but

not giving it another thought.

"Aida," The Doctor then called from across the wing as Aida collected the equipment for the captain's procedure, "Have you seen Cloud? She's going to be late for the fights."

"She was here earlier," Aida shrugged, packing up the last of the bone saws and torque wrenches, "But she left about ten minuets after I got here…why?"

"I never thought she'd leave Anteres' side," The Doctor stated, heading over to the bed where Ace was currently lying.

"I have an idea as to where she might be," Aida growled, placing the tool case back down on the floor beside him, "But never you mind that. Go. Cheer on Stork okay?"

"Will do," the Doctor smiled, just before leaving the ring.

* * *

"Welcome all to the final preliminary matches!" The MC shouted, returning to her platform, hovering above the audience, "It's time to bring out our first two fighters!" She called as Stork and Ravess headed out on to the arena floor.

"You know," Ravess called, raising an eyebrow and giving him a magenta smirk, "It isn't too late for you to reconsider my offer."

"N-n…" Stork began, sounding nervous at first, but then suddenly shifting his attitude, "No." He stated sternly taking a step towards Ravess, "I'm not going to surrender."

"Yes!" The Doctor cheered from the stands as she, those remaining in her team, and the rest of Atmos watched the two of them in the ring.

"Stick it to her Stork!" Finn laughed, leaning over the railing of the spectator's box.

"Fighters ready?" The MC then shouted, as Ravess let out a scoff and readied and arrow at the taught string of her bow. Stork looked straight through her, trying not to be affected by the former talon standing in front of him. He pulled his twin daggers out of the sheathes hanging at his sides and stood in a ready position. His stance was terrible, but that didn't matter, at this point, all that mattered was winning, "And begin!" the MC shouted with the call to start the match.

Immediately Ravess pulled back the bowstring and let one of the finely sharpened arrows loose, flying towards Stork. The merb quickly ducked out of the way, bending over backwards and watching as the arrow just barely flew past his nose. He snapped back upright to notice the angered look on Ravess' face as she pulled another arrow from her quiver, and moved to launch again. Stork let out a squawk of panic as he began to run in random directions, trying to throw off Ravess' aim. However, he misjudged her. Ravess let go of her bowstring and the gleaming silver arrow went flitting past Stork and sliced through the skin on his forearm.

"AAH!" He hissed, as he gripped his arm. Ravess smiled as she seized the opportunity of Stork's momentary distraction. She pulled another arrow back against the string of the bow and quickly took aim. She chuckled slightly as she was about to release her grip, when Stork snapped back to attention and disregarded his wound, rushing out of Ravess' line of fire. She let out a grunt of frustration as she pointed the bow in his direction. Stork gulped as she loosened her grip to release the string. Instinctively, he dropped to the ground, letting the arrow fly over his head, "Phew…" He panted, looking over towards Ravess, who looked livid.

"You can't run from me forever!" She shouted, pulling back three arrows on to the bowstring.

"But I can hide…" Stork thought, recalling his new found power. He stood still for a brief second to concentrate just as Ravess released the string and the wave of arrows went crashing down towards the merb. But in that instant, he disappeared, and the silver shafts embedded themselves within the ground.

"Damn it!" Ravess shouted, looking around the arena for any signs of stork. He was nowhere to be found. She held her bow and arrow at the ready, and closed her eyes, hoping that she might be able to hear the shrouded merb coming. Much to her dismay, the roar of the crowd was making it quite difficult to do so.

Damn!

She thought, splitting her ears, trying to find any other sign of sound within the arena, _Just shut up already!_

Meanwhile, hidden from the naked eye, Stork stood only a few inches from where Ravess' swarm of arrows had landed. He was momentarily petrified. It was so easy for him to take down Anaxagoras, but perhaps that was because he had vastly underestimated him. Ravess on the other hand, she was giving it her all. Stork took a gulp as he regained his composure, after all, there was no way Ravess could see him. He stood still for a moment, as she stood still, listening for him, and he thought. They both listened as the audience booed, demanding for blood, or at the least, something interesting to happen. Stork's disappearing act was interesting once, but now it was getting old.

_Let's just end this quickly,_ Stork thought, taking one of his daggers in hand. He rushed up to Ravess, although, she still stayed motionless, listening for him. However, something held Stork back. It was different taking down Anaxagoras when he didn't see it coming. After all, the two of them were enemies. Now, Ravess and Stork weren't exactly friends, but they were still allies.

"Just do it…" A small and sinister voice whispered in Stork's ear. The voice was eerie, yet familiar, but in what way he didn't know, "It's just a tournament…there are no rules…who's going to care?"

_No…_Stork thought, taking a step away from Ravess, _I knew this was a miserable idea! I'll just change back and surrender._

"And prove her right?" The voice laughed, "Oh come now Stork…everyone thinks you're a crackpot…and a coward…moving on to the next round would gain you power…respect…you'd be so much more than just the filthy merb everyone regards you as…"

_No one thinks that…do they? _He asked the voice echoing throughout his head.

"Not to your face of course…" The voice laughed, fading off into the distance as it did so, "Just something to think about…"

He didn't know how or why, but he found himself overpowered, almost possessed, by some sort of rage that he had never seen come from himself before. He dropped his first dagger to the ground as he grappled with himself, as one half of his body moved to attack the defenseless Ravess, and the other tried to hold himself back. Ravess noted the sound of the metal falling against the ground and she turned in his general direction, holding her bow up towards him. Without thinking, Stork reappeared, and in the same instant, blindly swiped in Ravess' direction with his blade. He only meant to cut the string of her bow, and to that extent, he succeeded. However, when he looked down at the blood lining the edge of his blade, he dropped the second dagger and turned even greener than before as he looked to Ravess in fear. Without meaning to, he had left a straight, clean slice across her neck, and the open wound was now spouting out blood as the stunned woman coughed and sputtered, attempting to mouth the words: Stork. She then disappeared in a flash of white light as she collapsed to the ground, as Stork fell to his knees.

"And there you have it folks!" The MC shouted, as the audience cheered and roared, "Once again the little merb that could showed us what for and is moving on to the final four!"

"Something is very wrong," Advent whispered, turning to Aerrow and the Doctor, who were watching the scene below with white faces.

"I'll go talk to him," The Doctor stated with a nod, just before leaving the spectator's box.

* * *

"I just don't believe all this!" Cloud cried, pacing back and fourth within the champion's box, "Stork…I mean…they're tearing each other apart down there!" She shouted, turning around as the other occupant of the room walk over to the room and placed his hands around her waist as she laid her head in his chest.

"It's going to be alright Cloud," Carver cooed softly, as he brushed his free hand through her silvery white hair.

"Those are my friends," Cloud began, looking up at him with scared blue eyes, "And they're all dying or disappearing one by one…and then there's Anteres…" She cried, burying her face in his chest. She didn't know why, but for whatever reason she was seeking comfort in Carver. Maybe because he was the next best thing. A place holder.

"I promise you," Carver stated, trying to work his charms as best he could, "That everything is going to be fine." He concluded, leaning into her.

"But what if the others can't manage to win!" Cloud exclaimed, pushing away from him and walking to the other side of the room, "What if we are all doomed."

"You aren't," Carver began, in a calm, reassuring voice as he came up to Cloud from behind, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her neck, "Once this tournament is over…" Carver stated in between exploring the slope of Cloud's neck and shoulder, "Cypress will know that she no longer has an ally in me…and I know quite a few of her secrets…" He whispered with a slight laugh as his hands moved from around Cloud's waist, slowly down her body.

"What are you doing!" She gasped, turning around to face him, gently pushing against his shoulder.

"Well come on Cloud," Carver sighed, rolling his eyes, "Let's be honest…what else would you be doing here?"

"You know not everyone has a one track mind like you!" Cloud shouted, her face turning a bright shade of red as Carver had her pushed up against the nearest wall. Carver just let out a slight laugh and looked Cloud over as she scoffed at him, "What!" She demanded.

"If you're so bothered by it then why are you still here?" He asked, with a smug smile. Cloud just looked at him, searching for an excuse, any kind of answer in her head, but unfortunately for her, nothing came, "Yeah that's what I thought." He replied, moving his face closer and closer to hers with each passing second and with each pounding heartbeat. She could deny him no longer. Cloud finally let Carver come close enough to touch his lips with hers.

If only for a moment, she was horrified. The memories of her attack were recalled once again, but quickly faded. Now, it was as though he was a different person, or perhaps she was just a fool. Either way, she didn't know what to think. Her love for Ace was still strong, but in that moment, she found passion overwhelming her. Cloud was always right about Carver in one aspect: he was very different from Ace. Ace's lips were firm and tense, but that was mostly because no matter what he was doing, he could never truly relax. Carver's lips were soft and supple, although she never would have thought that by looking at him.

She leaned into him, enjoying the moment of newfound attention, but not expecting to go any farther than that. Carver however didn't feel the same way. The more their mouths opened, the more their tongues twisted, the closer their bodies pushed together, the faster Carver's blood rushed through his body and in between his legs. Cloud felt his stiff appendage brush up against her body and shivers went down her spine.

"C-carver…" She whispered, unable to move as he pushed up her skirt.

"Just relax," He whispered as she listened to the sound of a zipper unwinding. Carver let out a deep sigh as the tension from the binding zipper was released. Cloud gripped his shoulders and bit her lower lip, closing her eyes and bracing herself for what was about to come next. Both figures were completely ignorant of the fight that was about to commence outside in the arena below.

Aerrow and Finn both stepped on to the arena floor, appearing ready for their match to commence on the outside. However on the inside, not quite so prepared. Finn gripped tightly to his crossbow while Aerrow held on to his twin blades. The two young men approached each other, both friends outside the ring, but here neither was sure where they stood with the other.

"Fighters!" The MC called as the two met in the center of the ring, "Are you ready!"

"Let's make this a good clean match Finn," Aerrow smiled, extending his hand out towards Finn.

"Are you saying I'm gonna cheat!" Finn demanded angrily, looking over towards Aerrow.

"What?" Aerrow asked, shaking his head at Finn, "No! I just meant that we're friends! I don't wanna hurt you-"

"So you're saying I can't take it!" Finn growled, his eyes fiercely glaring over at Aerrow. Aerrow looked back over towards the suddenly hot-tempered blonde and the realization swept over his face as a dire look crossed over his eyes.

"What's wrong with Finn and Aerrow!" Starling demanded, looking down at the arena floor from within the spectator's box.

"I'm assuming the same thing that's been happening to a lot of people during this tournament," Advent stated darkly, crossing her arms, "But whatever is making them act this way has yet to be discovered…just keep your heads clear during your match girls." Advent stated, turning to Starling and Sora, "I wouldn't want anything else to go wrong during this tournament."

"I'd really hate to have to do this to you Finn," Aerrow shouted, from across the center of the ring, "But it looks like you aren't going to give me much choice."

"Bring it on!" Finn spat, pointing his crossbow towards Aerrow.

* * *

_Welcome back to Inside Atmos! Bringing you news on the move! I'm Stormy Skies reporting to you live from Lumina City where the final eight competitors are vying for their shot at the first place prize and the chance to become the new Red Palace Champion!_

_In the first match, though somewhat slow, Stork, the underdog of the century, pulled out another win as he brought Ravess down after a comeback of her own in the last round. In our last match we watched former Sky Knight Aerrow, pitted against his own former squadron member in the Storm Hawks, Finn! After a minor temper tantrum from the blonde, he tried proving to the world that titles don't always mean everything. Although he gave his all in trying to take down the Sky Knight, Aerrow was just too much for him, making the feisty red head coming out on top._

_Coming up we'll have all the up to the minuet coverage on the fight between former Interceptor, Starling, and the scientific prodigy, Sora. Who will win? And who will be sent packing? The only way to find the answer is to keep watching Inside Atmos. So for now, I've been Stormy Skies!_

* * *

"Are you ready Sora?" Starling asked with a warm smile as the pair began to make their way down to the arena floor.

"I'm just worried," Sora sighed, looking up towards Starling, "Something goes terribly wrong to everyone who steps into that arena…it's like they go insane. Besides…I don't want to fight you…I don't want to fight any of the Twilight Knights. Even the people I don't particularly care for."

"Sora…" Starling sighed, trying to think of the right things to say to her. She knew that she was in an eighteen year old body now, but she was still like a child in so many ways.

"Starling and Sora!" The MC then shouted as her amplified voice echoed throughout the entire arena, "Please make your way to the arena floor now!"

"Come on," Sora sighed, crossing her arms, "We should get going."

They both headed down to the floor, heading towards each other from opposite sides. They knew they had to fight one another, it was just that in that particular moment, the idea of them fighting had become all the more real to them. It was no longer such an abstract concept. Starling felt a twinge of guilt inside of her when she began to think that the fight wouldn't be fair. After all, Sora was a runeologist and a symbologist, and she had no weapons or means to defend herself without the usage of crystals.

"Fighters ready!" The MC shouted, "And begin!" She called, as the audience cheered, hoping that this fight would be as good as, if not better, than the last.

"Let's do this!" Sora exclaimed, rushing towards Starling. Starling gave the girl as slight smile as she tucked her nunchucks under her arm and jumped out of the way of the girl's attack. Sora then leapt into the air, swinging her leg towards Starling, who blocked with her wrist, repelling Sora to the ground. Sora landed on her feet, standing upright, and laughing slightly as she did so. Starling let out a slight laugh as she gestured Sora to come at her again.

"It doesn't even look like they're trying…" Meno observed, grimacing down at the arena floor at the two women. And truthfully speaking, she was right.

"Of course they're not trying," Cypress smiled, tapping the surface of her reliquary gently with her fingers, "They're sparring…they're going to fight like this for hours until one of them gets _tired _and decides to throw in the towel."

"Hmm…" Meno thought, still looking down at the fight, "Then maybe we should intervene…so to speak."

"I'm way ahead of you," Cypress smiled, looking to her reliquary. A trial of thin greenish vapor trailed out of the opening in the top of the relic at her command and floated in front of her, awaiting to abide by her will, "Go after the girl…she will be much more easily swayed than Starling." With that, the smoke fluttered from the room, unseen as it did so, "Prepare for a show Meno…" Cypress smiled, sitting in the back of her chair.

"Come on Sora!" Starling shouted, as the two stayed locked in hand to hand combat down on the arena floor (although, it was rather playful), "is that all you've got!"

"I'm going easy on you!" Sora laughed. Although she stopped suddenly, standing still within the arena. Starling then stopped, looking confused over at her.

"Sora are you alright?" Starling asked, noting the scared look on her face and the glazed expression in her eyes.

"Get out of my head…" Sora whispered, gripping the roots of her head.

"Perfect," Cypress stated, watching from the owner's box.

"What?" Starling asked, looking just as scared as Sora did at that moment.

"GET OUT!" Sora then shouted, as the arena floor suddenly flooded with a dark magenta light that radiated with an energy everyone felt. The light died, if only a little to reveal that the origin was in fact coming from Sora, "Get away from me…" Sora then cried, falling to her knees, seemingly staring off into space as a violent win whipped throughout the arena.

"Sora!" Starling shouted, trying to reason with Sora and break back through to her, "It's all in your head!" she called, protecting her eyes from the wind.

"Starling needs to get out if there!" Advent stated, turning around to Aerrow, as it was only him and her left in the spectator's box.

"What is she doing!" Aerrow exclaimed, noting that instead of running out of the arena, Starling was walking towards Sora.

"Sora…" Starling called, heading closer and closer towards the girl, "It's me! Starling! We're friends! Get a hold of yourself! Come back!"

"…" Sora stayed silent as Starling headed towards her. However, with every step starling took the light grew stronger, and Sora's skin seemed to be consumed by a thick blackness. Starling took a step backwards, taken aback by Sora's sudden transformation, but still continued to walk forward. Disregarding the danger she might be in, Starling faced Sora and wrapped her arms around the adolescent tightly. Sora let out a slight whimper, as Starling held her tighter like a mother does her child.

"I am a monster…" Sora then whispered to Starling amidst the chaos, darkly and sinisterly, as though someone else was speaking through her.

"Sora?" Starling began, "Snap out of thi-" She continued, but before she could finish she felt a sharp, almost unfathomable pain in her abdomen. She looked down, and Sora's arms were brought together and fused at her hands into a sharp and gnarled point, making her look like an even more deformed creature than she already was. Her arms were plunged through Starling's abdomen. At that point, Sora returned to normal, falling unconscious, but appearing completely normal as the dark light dissipated and the wind had died down. Starling however, stumbled backwards, still alive as she looked down at the gaping wound in her abdomen. She collapsed to her knees, holding her arms over the wound while still bleeding, her face white from shock. She fell forward and as she hit down against the arena floor, Starling's body disappeared in a flash of white.

_So it's true then…_ Both Advent and Cypress thought once the match was over, _Sora is a far child._

"The last match is between Meno and Captain Scabulous," Advent stated, turning to Aerrow in the stands, "But we have more important issues at hand than to worry about who of the two is moving on to the next round…come with me." She commanded, as she gestured for him to follow her out of the stands.

"Where are we going?" Aerrow inquired, sounding all the more dire.

"I'm getting to the bottom of this," Advent stated angrily, turning around to face him, "Now!"

* * *

**[Message from Kingdom Come]:** Hello world! So I'm back with another installment. Okay so I have some things to say: first, I decided to not include the fight between Finn and Aerrow and the fight between Meno and Scabulous because even though they would be really interesting, The Stork/Ravess and Starling/Sora fights have relevant plot points to them. Mkay? Alright! Moving on! I am happy to say we are finally ending the damn tournament by this point. To be exact, there are four fights left...and then we can move on with the rest of the story (oh yeah right...the rest of the story...that actually exists!) Anyway! So in other news, In some shameless fan promotion, everyone should go check out MSCK's deviantArt page as she was the first place winner in the regiment of twilight writing contest :3 as was Hedlum (he placed second!) Also, if you wanna check out JOIN DARKCLONIS's page here, he has some pretty good stuff too :3

lastly. I had a twitter account that got hacked, but I successfully got back into it :P so if any of you are out there who have a twitter and wish to follow me, you can follow KC_KingdomCome!

Happy Friday Everyone :D


	51. Chapter 14: Four

**[Message from KC]: **Hello Hello Hello! Sorry about the lateness in updating but as some of you may know (being in college yourselves) it is midterm time! And I've been a bit pre-occupied XD anyway! So I'd like to thank everyone for being awesome and supportive during the 'troll incident' :D Also, Good news everyone! Technically speaking, there is one more chapter after this, and the tournament saga is over! Yay! Anyway, there are three more chapters left and that marks the end of Volume II, book I. So yeah, :P Enjoy the update guys :)

* * *

Chapter XIV.

Four

"Hello and welcome back to Inside Atmos!" A young and thin brunette smiled, standing out in front of the Lumina City arena early the next day. She was wearing a navy blue suit, holding a microphone and standing in front of a crew of camera men. Behind her were hundreds of tournament spectators passed by, trying to get their ten seconds of screen time as they waved towards the camera men, "I'm Stormy Skies and we're here live out front of the Lumina City arena! Just inside the final four fighters are preparing themselves for the upcoming fights and as you can clearly see, the energy here is astounding!"

At that moment the crowd around the arena began to scream and cheer as the lights of cameras began flashing wildly. Meno, Aerrow, Stork, and Sora stepped out on to the front steps of the arena, waving at the crowd as they did so. The reporters flocked around them, blocking out the waves of spectators who only wanted to catch a glimpse or shake a hand.

"And there they are!" The reporter chirped as her camera crew followed her, walking up to the final four fighters, "Hello! Stormy Skies, Inside Atmos! Tell me, how prepared do you think you all are for fighting the Red Palace Champion in the last fight?" "Well I can't speak for my competition," Meno stated with a slick smile as she stepped out in front of them, "But I do know that Carver doesn't stand a chance in the ring against me."

"I believe it will be a fair and interesting match on all sides," Aerrow chimed in, as Meno walked away from them all, moving past them as though they were the scum of the earth.

"So Sora!" Stormy Skies squeaked, immediately directing her attention to the youngest of the group, "How does it feel to be the youngest tournament competitor to make it to the final four?"

"Uh…" Sora began, nervously looking from Stormy, to the microphone being shoved into her face, and to the camera, "Pretty…uhm cool I guess…" Sora shrugged.

"And Stork," Stormy chimed, pointing the microphone towards the fidgety and somewhat overwhelmed Merb, "How does it feel knowing that no one thinks that you stand a chance in your next match! Do you think that this is the end of the line for you?"

"…" Stork just grumbled in response, looking dismally into the microphone.

"Stork stands just as good a chance as any other fighter in the final four," Advent smiled, emerging from behind Stork, Aerrow, and Sora.

"Advent Dawnrunner!" Stormy Skies squealed with glee as she immediately moved the microphone away from the contestants, "What an honor it is!"

"Charmed," Advent began with a nod and a slight smile, "But as I am sure you are aware, the contestants and I have somewhere we need to be." She smiled, gently pushing the microphone out of her face and shaking Stormy's hand as she walked passed the camera crew and gestured the others to follow her.

"Advent," Aerrow inquired, following after her, "What do you mean we have somewhere to be?"

"Just follow me," Advent explained calmly, as they walked past all the cheering crowd and heading into the silver and black (and rather old fashioned) carriage that awaited them at the end of the short walk.

"Where are we going?" Sora inquired curiously as they all climbed into the vehicle, and the shadowy coachman whipped the reigns and the two inky black Pegasus at the front of the coach let out a grunt of anger and took off down the Lumina strip.

"It's a place that we're all too familiar with," Advent stated cryptically as she folded her hands in her lap and looked out of the window of the stagecoach, "Another of my sister's carriages arrived for Aida, Cloud, and the Doctor not too long ago…however Aida volunteered to stay behind and take his brother back to headquarters so-"

"Wait!" Stork interrupted, sounding slightly terrified, "Did you say that your _sister_ sent for us!"

"Yes," Advent stated with a smile and a slight nod as the carriage ceased to a halt in front of a brilliant structure they did happen to know all to well.

"This is Carver's palace…" Aerrow stated with confusion as they all climbed out of the carriage, "Tiranon…what are we doing here?" He asked as the sentries out front of the structure ushered them all inside.

"There they are!" They heard Doctor Constantine call as soon as the gate to the palace closed behind them. She and Cloud went rushing towards them as they were soon greeted by Carver, Meno, and the Master herself.

"Welcome to the last of my esteemed fighters," Cypress smiled darkly as she briskly strode over to them, "I would like to personally welcome you, and your _guests_ to Tiranon! Your next tournament venue."

"You're going to have the finals here?" Sora asked doubtfully, "What…are we going to have it out in the _dining room_?"

"I am so glad you ask my dear," Cypress smiled, gently flicking Sora on the nose. She turned around and gestured all of them to face the front of the palace. Cypress gave a twisted little smile as she snapped her fingers and the earth began to rumble. Four dark, gnarled, and glistening obsidian spires shot up from the ground underneath the silvery structure, shattering the windows and collapsing certain sections of the once magnificent palace.

"Are you insane!" Carver exclaimed, not attempting to get any closer to Cypress as she and the structures emerging from the ground now began to emit with a very familiar dark red glow. The four structures met in the center, hanging high above the now shattered palace, forming a large and flat platform where they all collided. A cage like structure took form around the outermost portion of the platform.

"And welcome," Cypress smiled, turning to the tournament competitors, "To your new tournament venue."

"…m-my house…" Carver began, at a loss for words, looking into the shattered remnants of the palace.

* * *

"I don't believe this," Aida stated, watching the tournament from back at the Twilight headquarters, "If only our match hadn't ended in a draw…" He stated with a sigh, as he looked over to his older brother, laying limp and lifeless on a cot Aida had set up for him in the main hall, "Cypress has more planned to this…doesn't she? Advent knows I bet." Aida sighed, running his hand through Ace's hair, "It would explain why even the losers who lived through their fights aren't here…" Aida sighed, looking back up at the monitor.

He then noticed the loud MC pointing to a monitor brought up to the dark arena just for her special use. Names began flashing on the screen, no doubt to set up for the matches for the next fight. Aida clenched his fists, as he was sure everyone else from his team was doing, waiting for the set fights. He gulped as he looked at the first match up: Aerrow versus Meno. The second was Stork and Sora. He sighed as he turned back to his brother.

"Please…" Aida pleaded, seemingly to no one, "Please let Aerrow win his match! Whatever Cypress has planned…it certainly won't be an advantage to her once all her lieutenants are gone…" Aida sighed, hanging his head low. He then noticed that in Ace's lifeless and catatonic state, he was gripping something in his hand.

"What's this?" Aida asked quietly, pulling the crumpled and folded piece of parchment out of his brother's hand. Aida unfolded it and read the passage that was torn from one of Advent's old tomes. He took in the information about the reliquary and turned his attention to the monitor. He noticed, even from a distance as the camera crewmen moved around the arena, that the reliquary of fallen souls was hanging on Cypress' hip. He then immediately understood.

"Oh no…" Aida whispered in a panic, "Oh no, Oh NO, OH NO!" He shouted, stumbling backwards and tripping over his own two feet as he fell backwards, "It just can't be! It's too easy! She couldn't collect all the souls of All the fighters in the tournament who lost! What about the one's who are still alive!" He asked himself quietly, still panicking as he looked over the paper. He then noticed scrawling and notes written on the pages, freshly done of course, but not in his brother's handwriting.

"The reliquary contains the souls of those who were bested or culled in battle," Aida read aloud, "And utilizes the best and strongest attributes of those souls absorbed to make the bearer stronger." He carefully looked at the passage, and in a reddish ink the words _bested or culled_ were underlined with the word _Surrendered_ written in the ink above, "I guess that answers that question…" Aida sighed, looking over to his brother, "But can we get the souls back?" Aida asked, reading the pages further, "A soul can enter into the reliquary willingly, but at the bearer's cost, they can not utilize the attributes of that soul…" He read. At that moment, a red ink line appeared, forming under the passage he just read.

_Free will inside… _formed in read ink above the passage he just read. Aida shook as he let go of the paper, his face white with fear, _Set souls free…_

"Okay Mr. phantom paper…" Aida trembled, kicking the pages away from him, "W-we'll play your way! But I'm taking these notes to Advent first!" Aida exclaimed, lifting the pages off of the ground. He moved to run out of the headquarters when he felt something cold wrap around his ankle and pull him to the ground.

"I don't think so…" A cold and dull voice stated, walking towards Aida from across the room. He looked up to note the last of Cypress' lieutenants looming above him, Anaximander. Aida scrambled to his feet as he broke away from the watery tentacle holding him down. Anaximander let out a hiss as his body went clear and he lost all human shape, taking a liquid form. Aida rushed to the exit, but Anaximander was too quick for him. Aida was pulled down to the ground again, and as much as he struggled, it was no use. He tried to push and claw his way out of the water, enclosing around him, but the pressure was too great, and he eventually found himself forcing to give in. Anaximander then took a tangible human form again, pinning Aida to the ground by his arms and legs. Cypress' amulet was hanging around his neck, and swinging gently in front of Aida's face. Aida gulped in panic as the amulet began to glow, "This amulet is not just for controlling the Master's creatures…" Anaximander explained darkly, as Aida attempted to resist, "It is also attuned to her reliquary…"

"NO!" Aida shouted, as he began to glow in sync with the amulet.

"Your soul belongs to her now…" Anaximander stated darkly as a thin white light flowed gently from Aida's mouth and into the amulet. Aida then fell, weak, limp, and lifeless, just like his brother, to the floor.

"Now to dispose of that information to the Master…" Anaximander stated flatly, rising to his feet and walking towards where Aida had dropped it. He however immediately noticed that it was now missing, "What! Impossible! Where is it!" He hissed, beginning to tear the main hall apart, searching for the papers. Little did he know they were closer than he thought.

The ghostly visage of Farrah stood close behind him, unseen by any mortal eye, but not completely cut off from the physical realm. She held the pages in her hands as she silently slipped out of the main hall, leaving the last of Cypress' lieutenants to destroy the headquarters.

"I see that my mother is trying to best me at every turn…" Farrah thought, taking one quick last glimpse at Ace and Aida before gliding out of the building, "I can see now that one should never employ a mortal to do an undead's job…I will bring this information to the others myself…"

* * *

"Ladies and Gentleman!" The MC shouted, without her microphone of course, now that there was no audience for her to rally, into the face of Inside Atmos' camera crew that followed the fighters up to the platform, "Welcome to the finals of the Red Palace tournament! And our final day might I add! So let's not waste any time! Aerrow and Meno will be going head to head for a spot in the final match! One of these hopefuls will be fighting for the chance to take on Carver and a shot at the Champion title!" She smiled as Aerrow and Meno stepped out on to the glossy blackened platform.

"Ready Meno," Aerrow smiled, pointing one of his twin blades in her direction as she smiled back at him contemptuously and began laughing, "What's so funny?" Aerrow demanded.

"Nothing," Meno smiled, gently cocking her head to the side, "Nothing at all." She laughed, immediately leaping towards him. Aerrow rebounded, pushing her back across the new arena floor. Meno skidded to her feet looking back up towards him, still smiling darkly.

"Knock it off!" Aerrow shouted, rushing towards her and clashing blades with the wild woman. Meno laughed as the metal grinded together, making the most horrendous noise.

"It's just funny that's all!" Meno laughed, seemingly looking right into Aerrow's person, "That you think you're the strongest…the best…the blessed messiah of Atmos! AHAHA! You think Advent think's _you're _special!"

"Why else would she choose me!" Aerrow hissed, as each pushed against their opponent's blades, waiting for one to falter.

"Because," Meno smiled, as a flash of light consumed her person, and Meno's image was replaced with Advent's, "I needed a scapegoat you fool…"

"Shut up!" Aerrow shouted, kicking the pseudo-Advent out from under her feet, "Get out of my head Meno!"

"Oh please!" She laughed, bringing her rapier down towards him. Aerrow fended her off, but still was conflicted when it came to attacking his leader, "You were too perfect Aerrow! A big headed young buck like yourself…constantly priding yourself on being _the last descendant of the original Storm Hawks_! You were exactly the kind of moronic twat I needed…Cyrus wouldn't let me be about making her second in command, and Nova is outgrowing her usefulness…I figured, as long as he thinks he's special…why no put the blame on you!" She laughed, throwing her head back in triumph as Aerrow fell backwards on to the arena floor.

_Good work Meno…_Cypress thought, watching the fight intently, _Make his confusion, his anger, his bitterness…make it grow…_

"She even favors me over you…" Meno laughed, changing forms again in a flood of light, now revealing the Dark Ace before him. The false Ace twirled Meno's blade in between his hands as Aerrow jumped to his feet, "Why else would she let me in on _all_ of her secrets before telling you?"

"I'm not stupid!" Aerrow shouted, swiping at Ace's form. He held back against seeing Advent, but at Ace, he had no problem, "They share a soul! That's no secret anymore…he already knows Advent's secrets!"

"Not all of them…" He stated, kicking Aerrow's chest and knocking him to the ground again. While Aerrow was down, the pseudo-Ace plunged the blade into Aerrow's shoulder, pinning him to the ground. Aerrow let out a growl of pain, as the sadistically disguised Meno began to twist the blade, "Think about it," She laughed, still in Ace's form as she leaned down over him, still twisting the blade, "Why would she let me know things before letting you know…I mean _you are_ her _favorite_…right Aerrow?"

"Shut UP!" Aerrow exclaimed, summoning enough strength to throw his fist into Meno's (or at this moment, rather, Ace's) face. She fell backwards reverting to her old form as Aerrow pulled the blade from his shoulder and stumbled to his feet. He was a little dizzy from the sudden loss of blood, but he could push through it.

"Ahaha…Ha…HAHA!" Meno laughed, a little crazed as she wiped the blood away from the corner of her mouth and rose back to her feet, "You've got some fight in you after all!"

"Just stay out of my head Meno!" Aerrow growled, coughing slightly as he held his twin blades out in front of him.

"No problem!" Meno laughed, rushing over towards Aerrow and seizing her blade from off of the arena floor. Their blades collided once again, sending sparks through the obsidian arena as the pair locked themselves in combat. Meno lifted her blade above her head, intending to slice down against Aerrow's already injured arm. However, before she could strike, Aerrow swung one of his twin blades across Meno's torso, creating a long and thin red line across her exposed midriff. She let out a growl as she released her arms for a moment, and Aerrow kicked against her chest as she was stumbling backwards. Meno went falling to the arena floor. Aerrow pointed his twin blades down towards her, seemingly having the woman defeated.

"Go ahead," Meno laughed, waiting for Aerrow to strike at her, "Do it…you've got me right here…"

"I want you to surrender…" Aerrow stated sternly, looking down at her, trying to humiliate the woman. She began to laugh again, and by this point, Aerrow was so sick of the sound of her laughter he moved to strike, but before he did, Meno's form was encased in light and was replaced by a new one. One that caused Aerrow to freeze in fear.

"Do it…" The new form laughed, the voice of a man laughed, "Now…" But Aerrow couldn't. He trembled at the sight before him, and for a brief moment, he completely forgot he was in the tournament. The transformed Meno laughed as her blade quickly plunged through Aerrow's chest, causing his eyes to go glassy. Everyone watching from the new arena let out a gasp as they looked at the image of Lightning Strike holding the blade piercing his son. He pulled the blade out from Aerrow's chest as he fell to the ground and disappeared within a flash of white light, as Meno too transformed back into her form and looked at the empty arena floor with a smile.

"…Meno…has won…" The MC stated, with lost energy as she looked from the scene, back over to the camera, instantly perking herself back up, "We will return shortly after this break with our second match! Stork versus Sora."

_Aerrow…_Advent thought, looking down at the ground as Meno shot her a dark smile as she headed off of the arena floor.

* * *

"Are you ready Stork," Sora smiled, as the pair headed out on to the arena floor. Stork looked over at the young woman with suspicion, "What?" She commanded, looking towards the Merb.

"Sorry Sora," Stork gulped, gathering up what courage he had, "But I'm not quite ready…to die yet!"

"Stork!" Sora exclaimed, "I never _intentionally _killed anyone!"

"I'm just letting you know…" Stork stated, holding out his two shoddy daggers, ready to defend himself against the mysterious girl, "I made it this far…when no one thought I would make it past round two…I'm not holding back!"

"Fine!" Sora snapped, holding her only means of defense, her fists, out in front of her, "Then let's do this!"

"Fighters ready!" The MC shouted as the pair faced each other down, "And begin!" She called, as the pair then began circling around one another, waiting for one of them to strike.

_I know he's waiting for me to hit first…_ Sora thought, watching him carefully, _But maybe he thinks I'm thinking that so he's going to wait for a moment when I'm the most off guard and then strike at me and-_ Sora continued, so caught up in her own paranoid thoughts that Stork had managed to kick at her knees, knocking her to the ground.

"Cheap shot!" Sora exclaimed, jumping to her feet and watching Stork like a hawk again.

"Well you're not doing anything!" Stork exclaimed, rolling his eyes at her, a little expectantly, "What are you waiting for."

"I don't know!" Sora screamed, turning to him, "I just don't want to fight anymore!"

"Sora calm down!" Advent exclaimed from the edge of the arena, where the rest of the guests were standing.

"Just STOP!" She exclaimed as she began to emit the same strange dark glow again, and the light filled her eyes. The dark glow then expanded and filled the arena as Sora collapsed to her knees. Stork held his arms up to his face to protect him from whatever Sora was emitting, but it didn't seem to harm or effect him. He then looked around the arena and noticed that no one was moving. They were all frozen in time, including Sora, who appeared to be lost in her own state of catatonia.

"Sora!" Stork exclaimed, looking around the now frozen world, "Sora! Snap out of it! Snap out of it right now!" Sora then fell to her face, regaining control if only for a moment.

"What happened…" Sora asked quietly, looking around at the time-stuck world.

"I should be asking that!" Stork exclaimed, gripping the roots of his hair, "Not you! What's going on with you Sora? How…how did you stop time!"

"I don't know!" Sora exclaimed, clenching her temples as she curled up in a ball on the floor of the arena, "And what is that noise! Make it stop!" She commanded as time suddenly resumed.

"What are you-" Stork exclaimed, taking a step away from her. He stopped as he noticed Sora's skin turning a dark and inky black again.

"No!" the Doctor shouted, as Sora's body lifted off of the ground by some invisible force like a rag doll.

"Stork!" Cloud exclaimed, "Run!" The merb however was motionless. Large spines began to shoot out from Sora's body, piercing the arena floor. One of the spires was about to plunge right through Stork's body when suddenly the sharp spine ceased plunging towards him, just a few inches from his chest. There was a long and thin rapier through her body, causing her to become catatonic again. Cypress, then much to everyone's shock and amazement, stepped in front of Stork, holding her hand out in front of the creature that Sora once was.

"Enough of this!" Cypress shouted, "Go back to where you came from!" She commanded as Sora's body disappeared in a flash of white light, and her rapier fell to the floor. Cypress then turned around to face Stork. He was terrified and confused, and was now looking the woman who was still trying to end his life in the face, "Congratulations…only by technicality…you move on…" She stated darkly, walking out of the center of the arena floor. She tuned out the jabbering of the MC as she walked past those remaining in the arena. She then felt a stern hand seize her arm. Cypress turned around and noticed her sister gripping her tightly.

"Why did you do that?" Advent commanded, glaring at her with sharp blue eyes, "Why not just let him die?"

"Because…" Cypress stated with a sharp glare in response, "That creature needed to be stopped…you and I both know that…you're welcome by the way sister…" She stated, walking away from Advent.


	52. Chapter 15: The R P C Showdown

**[Message from Kingdom Come]: **Sorry it took so long to update everyone :P life has been well...lifey. Anyway leave any questions, comments, concerns in the reviews page :P hope you guys enjoi. Happy Thursday!

* * *

Chapter XV.

The Red Palace Champion Showdown

"The match between Meno and Stork is set to start any moment now," Advent stated, looking out into the darkened skies that loomed over the arena.

"Do you think Stork will be okay?" Cloud asked, turning to look at Advent and the Doctor, "I mean…he made it this far right? He stands a chance…right?"

"I hate to say this," The Doctor stated sadly, looking over to Cloud, "But if Meno could best Aerrow, then I don't think Stork stands much of a chance."

"Had Aerrow kept his mind clear, we might not be in this situation," Advent stated, a bit bitterly. She turned away from both of them and looked back up to the sky, "We will just have to hope for a miracle at this point."

"Then a miracle you shall have," Farrah whispered into her ear as the ghostly image of the girl drifted up beside her aunt, though she was unseen by any eye. Farrah moved to slip the parchment into Advent's robe when suddenly she noticed Stork and Meno stepped out on to the arena floor. She let out a slight growl as she dropped the paper into Advent's robe and drifted back, out of the arena to watch from a safe distance. Advent's attention was peaked once she felt the paper drop into her pocket. She reached into it and pulled out the parchment.

"What is this," She whispered, moving to unfold the paper when the news crew began their commentary.

"The air here is tense," Stormy Skies began, standing at the edge of the obsidian arena with her camera crew as a cold wind blew through, "I'm Stormy Skies reporting to you live from the final match in the Red Palace tournament where Meno is about to take on Stork for a chance at fighting Carver for the championship title. OH! It looks like the match is about to start!" She stated, looking into the camera and speaking with a hushed tone.

"Are you scared yet _Merb_?" Meno asked contemptuously, looking over Stork as he walked towards her from across the arena.

"No," Stork replied immediately, even though inside he was absolutely terrified. Cloud and Doctor Constantine watched, clenching their fists nervously as Advent ignored the scene and began reading the paper. Her eyes widened as she gripped the parchment, reading over the notes Farrah had left for her.

"Alright," The MC began, meeting Stork and Meno in the center of the ring, "Let's make this a good, clean, fight…ready?" She called, backing far away from the pair as they extended their weapons out in front of them, "And begin!" She called.

Stork's immediate reaction was to jump out of the way, but Meno was too quick for him. She just barely scratched his forearm as he attempted to rush out of harm's reach. Stork hissed as he clasped his hand to the faint red line now seeping through his uniform. Meno began approaching him, a twisted smile on her face as she pointed her blade in his direction. Stork let out his own slightly crazed laugh as he looked up at Meno. She scoffed as she ceased her movement.

"What!" She demanded, "Surely, even having come from a race as pathetic as yours…even you would know when your back is against the ropes."

"You'd think," Stork replied, raising his eyebrow and giving Meno a slight smirk as he disappeared within the blink of an eye. Meno however, didn't appear to be phased by this. She stood still in the arena with her eyes closed and a confident smirk on her face. She then looked over to Cypress who smiled and nodded to her. Cypress then untied the leather chord of the reliquary from around her hips and tossed the item over to Meno, who caught it accordingly.

"Reliquary of Fallen Souls!" Meno commanded, holding the item above her head, "Let me call fourth from your font of powers!" She commanded. The item glowed violently and radiated with an intense green light as a bright vapor flew fourth from the ancient artifact. The greenish vapor flowed in to her veins, the green radiance shining through her skin. Meno's eyes opened and shone with an intense emerald shine as she looked around the arena with a wicked smile painted across her lips. Her soulless eyes then fell on Stork. His heart skipped a beat when he noticed that she could see him. She rushed up to the unseen entity and thrust her knee into his torso. Stork, still cloaked from the world, came crashing to the ground. He looked up at Meno, slightly horrified now that his only advantage had been taken from him.

"You're such a fool," Meno laughed, her voice somewhat shrouded by one darker than her own as she stood over him, "So proud of your guardian spirit and yet you don't even bother to figure out what your so called friends can do!" She laughed, lifting Stork up by the neck, "the Scryer has never been known to be the best of the fighters in the triad…but their powers of foresight and seeing into the unseen realm can prove quite useful! Now…" She smiled, lifting the reliquary up to Stork's face, "Your little disappearing act would make a fine addition to my Master's collection."

"No!" Stork screamed in panic, writhing and trying to break free from her grip. He flung his legs wildly, trying to strike at her, but to no avail, she kept a firm grip. However, as the reliquary began to glow, Stork swung his leg in the direction of the relic, knocking it out of Meno's hands. She began to panic, dropping Stork to his knees and immediately diving for the reliquary. She managed to seize the object before it went shattering against the obsidian floor and she snapped back up, giving a dark look to Stork, just before looking to her master with a look that begged her for forgiveness.

Advent watched as Meno encroached on her invisible target, looking back from the mysterious paper slipped on to her person and the reliquary in Meno's hands. She thought quickly, absorbing as much information as she possibly could. Her mind raced if only for a moment as she thought of what to do.

"Stork!" She shouted, jumping into the ring. Cypress attempted to stop her sister but missed her just in time. Advent touched down in the space between Meno and Stork, and turned around to face him, even though he believed he could not be seen, "Follow my lead!" She commanded before turning back to a stunned Meno. She put her guard up, expecting Advent to retaliate with some attack, but to her surprise did not. Advent stood up, facing down Meno and her sister within the ring.

"What in God's name is she doing!" The Doctor shouted, wanting to rush into the arena to pull her out, only to be held back by Cloud.

"It appears Advent Dawnrunner has in fact jumped into the ring!" Stormy Skies shouted as her camera crew fixated on the center of the arena.

"Advent Dawnrunner!" The MC shouted angrily into her disconnected microphone, "If you do not exit the arena immediately Stork will be disqualified!"

"I understand now," Advent stated, clutching Farrah's parchment in her hands, "You use that reliquary to collect souls…don't you…"

"So you've got it all figured out then," Cypress smiled, stepping on to the arena floor, "Yes as a matter of fact I do…"

"This tournament," Advent stated angrily, walking towards her sister, "It _was _a trap! It was all just a ploy to trick us into entering…so you could steal our souls. That thing…" She stated, nodding towards the reliquary, "It makes you stronger the more souls you take into it…you just needed an excuse to collect souls. _Our_ souls…"

"I'm actually surprised you all made it this far," Cypress smiled, "I'd have thought by now that my lieutenants would be taking Carver in the final match and I would be able to add yet another pawn to my collection…and you twilight knights would be out of my hair…" She smiled, taking the reliquary from Meno, "But I suppose having you as a sister does have a tendency to throw a stiff in my plans as it always does."

"You…" Carver shouted, entering the arena himself, "Sadistic… Condescending… BASTARD!" He shouted, unsheathing his blade and rushing towards Cypress. However, Meno stepped out in front of her Master and plunged her broadsword through Carver's torso. She gave him a slight smile as the life faded from Carver's eyes and she threw him lazily to the side. Carver's body then slowly began to fade away in a faint white light and dissipated into a thin vapor that drifted into the reliquary.

"I've been waiting to do that for years now," Meno laughed as she turned to the relic in her Master's hands.

"It appears that Meno has just bested Carver!" Stormy shouted as her crew focused on the arena floor.

"Stop doing my JOB!" The MC growled, pushing the newscaster out of the way and butting her head into the camera shot, "This makes Meno the new Red Palace Champion! Unless Stork can manage to defeat her and take the prize for himself!"

"That won't be happening," Cypress growled, as Stork reappeared and stood behind Advent, "It's time to end this…" She stated, unsheathing her blade and walking towards her sister.

"I'll take the Merb," Meno smiled, turning to Stork as the two slowly moved towards them.

"As I said," Advent stated quietly, but clearly, speaking to Stork out of the corner of her mouth, "Follow my lead…"

Advent bent down on one knee and lowered her head. Meno laughed as she placed her blade against her neck, ready to slit her throat, but Cypress stepped away from her sister, suspicious of her motives. Meno brought her broadsword above her head, moving to slice Advent's head from her shoulders.

"Take me…" Advent then whispered, just before Meno brought the sword down against her, "Into your vessel of Souls…"

"MENO NO!" Cypress exclaimed as she brought the blade swinging down. Advent's body burst into a ray of bright light. The reliquary seized, glowing violently as the light began to flood into the relic. Cypress began to scream as the relic singed with power, burning into her skin. Wind whipped through the arena, nearly blowing the few spectators out of the ring.

"CLOUD!" The Doctor shouted, shielding her eyes from the burning wind, "Get the MC and the news crew out of here!"

"What about you!" Cloud shouted, turning to her.

"Never mind me!" The Doctor shouted back, pushing the young druid towards the two screaming women at the edge of the arena, "Get them to safety!" Cloud nodded and in a puff of white smoke she transformed into a great grey horned owl. She was blown out of the arena but as she went falling to the ground, she flapped her wings and charged back up to the arena floor. The MC and Stormy were screaming hysterically with their arms covering their eyes as they stepped back from the sight. Not looking, both women stepped back off of the ledge and began plummeting down towards the ground. However, Cloud caught them both in her talons in the knick of time. She gently placed the two women on to the ground and flew back up to the arena, clutching the two camera men as well and flying them to safety. However, as Cloud was bringing them to the ground, the disgruntled employees dropped the cameras in order to cling on to her as she brought them to safety.

"Is everyone here alright?" Cloud inquired, looking over the four figures.

"Yeah I think so," The MC nodded, shaking as she was quite addled.

"Okay!" Stormy Skies screamed, pointing over to her two shattered cameras laying on the ground near to them, "No I'm not okay! All that footage! LOST! That was hard hitting reporting right there! I'll never be co-anchor now!"

"Who cares about your stupid story!" The MC shouted, pushing the disgruntled newscaster down, "There's lives at steak here! Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Get everyone out of the vicinity of the arena," Cloud nodded, turning to the MC and then looking up at the bright green light emitting from the arena floor, "It's too dangerous even for you."

"Right," The MC and the camera men nodded as they lifted Stormy off of the ground and dragged her out of the courtyard. Cloud made sure all four of them left the vicinity safely before turning her attention back to the arena. She let out a gasp as she transformed back into her owl form and flew back up to the arena floor once she noticed the great green light had dissipated.

In the center of the floor, Cypress stood. Her knees quivering as she clutched her hand, burnt and blackened by the sheer power emitted from the reliquary taking in the soul of a fallen Valkyrie. She still held the relic, gasping with anger as she looked at its glossy surface. Meno rushed to her master's side, only to be cast away. Cypress faltered, struggling to stay upright.

"Damn you…" Cypress began, collapsing to her knees, "Damn you Advent…" She hissed, falling unconscious on to the arena floor.

"What did you do!" Meno screamed, rushing over to Stork and lifting him up by his neck, "What have you DONE TO MY MASTER!"

"Nothing!" Stork exclaimed in a panic as Meno threw him to the ground. She seized the reliquary from her Master's hands and walked towards Stork. The item looked rather dormant and lifeless, but Meno hadn't noticed.

"Lend me your powers," She commanded of the reliquary. However, it stayed inactive. Meno let out a growl of frustration, "I said…LEND ME YOUR POWERS!" She shouted once again, but to no avail. Stork gulped as he closed his eyes and summoned up what little strength and courage he had left and disappeared once again. He took one of his daggers in hand and moved quickly while Meno was distracted. He rushed towards her, unseen and thrust the blade through her chest. Meno coughed as a splash of blood flew fourth from her mouth and her eyes glazed over as she fell backwards against the ground. Stork caught the reliquary in his hands as Meno's body began to fade away in a flash of white light, and was absorbed into the reliquary.

Stork then reappeared, the reliquary in one hand, his dagger in the other. He collapsed to his knees, absolutely shocked and terrified by what he had just done. He placed the relic down in front of him, still shaking and breathing heavily from fear. He looked down at the reliquary and let out a cry as he lifted his dagger above his head.

"No!" A voice boomed throughout the air. Lightning flashed in the sky and a single bolt came crashing through the arena, just behind Stork. He was about to plunge his blade into the glassy surface of the artifact when he suddenly felt something seize his hand.

"Mother of God…" The Doctor exclaimed, bowing before the entity holding Stork back from destroying Cypress' artifact.

"Not quite…" Jevanni stated with a slight smile as she pulled her blonde hair out of her face, "But close enough…" She stated, taking the dagger from Stork's hand, "Your intentions were noble, but destroying this now while the souls of your friends are trapped inside would have dire consequences."

"W-what should we do!" Stork exclaimed, holding the reliquary in his hands and trembling as he stood up before the Valkyrie mother.

"We wait," Jevanni sighed, placing her hand on Stork's shoulder as her great grey wings folded inwards, "As long as Advent's soul is trapped inside…there is hope."

"But what hope is there?" Cloud asked as she and the Doctor walked up to Jevanni and Stork from behind.

"There is always hope," Jevanni stated, taking the reliquary from Stork, "There's always a light in every darkness. Have faith in Advent…I am sure she will know what to do…"

"Well that's all well and good," The Doctor sighed, looking at the three faces before her, "But what are we going to do about that?" She inquired, nodding towards Cypress, who lay unconscious in the center of the ring.

"Let's just end this now," Stork growled, taking his dagger in hand and moving towards her. He felt something tug on his shoulder however, and turned to note that Jevanni was holding him back.

"It won't matter," She replied, shaking her head, "Cypress is an immortal and you can't kill her…all that will accomplish is making her more angry than she already is."

"Just leave her here," Cloud stated nervously, "Let's bring this back to the resistance headquarters!" She suggested, looking down at the reliquary, "Maybe if Advent doesn't find a way out soon, we can!"

"Then we'd best hurry," Jevanni stated, holding out her hands to the three individuals, "Once Cypress awakens and realizes that the Reliquary of Fallen Souls is no longer in her possession, she will tear apart every terra in Atmos until she finds it!"

"Then there's no time to waste!" The Doctor shouted, taking Jevanni's arm as did Stork and Cloud. There was a loud clap of thunder and a clash of lighting, and in the flash, the four disappeared from the arena, leaving only the fallen Cypress alone in the center.

* * *

Several hours passed by as Cypress finally awoke. She looked around the empty arena floor, and up to the thundering sky above her head. She then looked down at her burnt hand and a wave of panic flooded her person. She began looking frantically around the arena floor for any sign of her reliquary. Her heart was racing but as it would appear, her precious item was nowhere in sight. She let out a scream of anger as she pulled her communicator out of her uniform.

"Anaximander…" She hissed into the device, awaiting her immediate reply.

"Yes my Master," The last of the triplets stated quietly from the other side of the communicator.

"I need you to come to Lumina City…" Cypress growled, clutching the communicator so tightly in her hands she could have very well crushed it, "Immediately! And bring my amulet!"

"Already done my Master," Anaximander's voice called, but not at the other end of the communicator, but rather, over the sound of a roaring skimmer engine hovering just outside the arena floor.

"I've underestimated my sister once again…and the Twilight Knights have taken my reliquary!" Cypress spat, climbing on to the back of the skimmer, "My plans have faltered yet again Anaximander…"

"As they always do…" Anaximander thought out loud, thankfully, just quiet enough that his master could not hear.


	53. Chapter 16: Lost

**[Message from Kingdom Come]: **Hello everyone! So I have some news! First of all, now that life has stopped hating me, I've got nothing better to do with my life than to start writing more stuff. Today marked the beginning of NaNoWriMo and I am participating again this year I'll be posting my updates on dA so stay posted :3 Also, if anyone has the feeling to add me on Steam just PM me and I'll send you my steam account username :P Anyway, enjoy the update everyone!

* * *

Chapter XVI.

Lost.

Advent steadied herself, her head spinning as she craned her neck upwards, looking around the darkness. She gestured to move her arms, and went to walk forward, but to no avail. She found that she was being restrained by something. She looked down at her wrists and ankles as her vision came into a better focus and the darkness became that of a thick dark greenish haze. Dark oily tethers were constricting her wrists and ankles and she felt weightless, almost as though she was floating. She then looked around and realized she was suspended, drifting limply in the greenish haze.

"This…" Advent whispered, her voice trailing through the seeming nothingness around her, "This…but where is she keeping them?" She asked herself quietly.

She then let out a scream of pain as the tethers wrapped around her began to tighten, cutting off the circulation to her hands and feet. Advent growled as the organic restraints pulled tighter and tighter against her skin. She began to resist, throwing all of her strength into pulling them apart. She swore she heard a faint screeching sound as she wrenched the oily constraints apart, or perhaps it was just her imagination. The tethers ripped apart as Advent let out a scream, summoning all of her strength in order to break free. The tethers broke, falling off of her body and fading into the darkness below her, letting Advent move freely about the space.

She drifted through the darkness for what felt like hours, finding nothing. No indication of where the fallen souls were being kept, no traces of where they might be, and no signs of anything whatsoever. All that she found, was nothing. She let out an exasperated sigh, looking around in the thick dark greenish haze as she felt it pressing in around her. It was then when something struck her.

What if free souls and fallen souls existed in the reliquary together, but in separate planes? What if she wouldn't be able to free all of the captured fighters? What if she too was now trapped within the reliquary for all eternity?

Advent began to choke back her own tears as she gripped the fabric hanging at her chest and bit her lip. Clearly, she hadn't thought this through as well as she had believed. She clenched her fists and looked up into the nothingness and let out a long and enraged scream as tears rolled down her face.

"DAMN YOU!" She screamed, throwing her fists up in the air, and then back behind her. They collided with something, making a soft _thud_ but for several long moments, Advent hadn't noticed. She leaned against the something, sobbing softly, and still looking into the blackness.

It wasn't until about two minuets later when she realized that she was leaning against _something_. She then stopped sobbing. She lifted her head and brushed away the tears hanging on her cheeks. She then turned around to get a good look at the something. She noted that it was a large, black sphere that was almost unnoticeable in the void. Her vision came into better focus the more she studied the massive object and realized that there were hundreds if these strange black spheres suspended in the void all around her.

Curiously, Advent tapped against its surface. To her surprise, it was hollow. She pressed in closer to it, to get a better look at what might be inside, but the surface was so dark, that it was nearly impossible to see inside, not to mention with how dark the void already was. Advent let out a frustrated sigh, and then noticed something brushing up against her leg. She looked down and noticed that the sheathe of her rapier was still hanging at her side. Her heart skipped a beat as she withdrew the weapon.

Instinctively, she plunged it into the dark surface of the orb. The sphere began to shatter and crackle like glass. Beneath the dark surface a bright green light shown through the cracks and grew brighter the more bits and pieces of the orb's surface that fell away. The surface of the sphere finally erupted and the light dissipated, leaving behind nothing but a limp body floating in the void. Advent drifted up to it, and lifted its face to hers.

"Aerrow!" She exclaimed, gently patting his face and trying to wake him from the trance, "Aerrow wake up! Please!"

"Huh…" He began, looking around the dark void in confusion as he awoke from his state, "w-what's going on? Where are we?"

"Inside Cypress' reliquary," Advent replied casually, much more calm now that she knew how to find the captured souls and now that she knew how easy it was to set them free.

"What!" Aerrow exclaimed, looking around the expanse, a little concerned. Although, we was rather relieved to see Advent, "Wait…so…I lost!"

"To Meno I'm afraid," Advent nodded, not really caring if the knowledge would be devastating to be Aerrow or not (and judging by the look on his face, it was), "She transformed into your father…tricked you…something I tried to warn you about remember?"

"No actually," Aerrow replied shaking his head, "I just remember fighting Meno and then a flash of light and then seeing you just now."

"Strange," Advent began, looking off into space, "So you don't remember anything at all?"

"No," Aerrow replied with a sigh as he shook his head once again, "So…who won the tournament…dare I ask?"

"I don't know," Advent replied with a sigh and a shrug, "Technically speaking…Meno is the new Champion…she did defeat Carver, but the match between her and Stork wasn't over yet by the time I was sent here…"

"Oh…" Aerrow nodded, scratching the back of his head, "Ah…so what do we do now?"

"I think it's pretty obvious," Advent replied with a slight sigh of irritation, "We have to release all of the souls that were trapped here…the more Cypress has bound to the reliquary, the stronger she becomes."

"I'm kind of confused," Aerrow sighed as he and Advent drifted through the myriad of massive black orbs drifting lazily in the void, "What exactly happened after I…you know?"

"Oh please Aerrow," Advent replied, rolling her eyes slightly, "Just say it…you lost. There is no shame in admitting defeat and as I've told you before in our many little chats, that cumbersome pride of yours is just that. Cumbersome. A little humility is good for the soul and after all it's a trait you'll need if you ever hope to govern the twilight knights one day."

"Govern?" Aerrow inquired, raising an eyebrow. Advent said nothing, she just turned and gave him an expectant look as Aerrow nodded back, "We're not a squadron…we're an institution…"

"That's right," Advent replied with a slight smile, "Now come…I'll explain everything…we've got plenty of work to do."

"W-what's going on here?" Ace commanded, looking around the void. He heard the clamoring of several hundred people, but all he happened to see was darkness. As his vision came into better view, he saw Advent and Aerrow.

"You have no idea how sick we are of hearing that," Aerrow added with a smile and a roll of the eyes as Ace steadied himself.

"It feels like it has been hours," Advent stated, turning to Aerrow, "But I believe with Anteres…everyone is now freed."

"You'll never believe what's going on," Aerrow stated direly, turning to Ace, "Cypress was using this whole tournament as-"

"As a venue to harvest souls for her reliquary?" Ace continued, raising an eyebrow at the two of them, "I know…"

"Yeah…" Aerrow replied, shaking his head in confusion, "But…how did you know?" Ace nodded towards Advent who at that moment, looked just as confused. She immediately shook it off and nodded back at him, but was still confused. Advent learned that information after Ace had been stricken with comatose, he would have had to know before hand. But the question was, how did he know?

"So…now that everyone is free…where do we go from here?" Aerrow asked, looking towards Advent. She let out a sigh as she looked to the hundreds of faces that were all floating about the void, all staring at her expectantly.

"Truth is," Advent sighed, "I haven't gotten that far yet…"

"Figures," Anaxagoras scoffed, commanding the attention of the crowd, " That the great Advent hasn't the slightest clue what in the hell she's doing!"

"Hey!" Nova screamed over the murmuring crowd, "Shove it pretty boy! If it wasn't for you and your stupid Master, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Don't you call our Master such things you valkyrian whore!" Meno screeched, firing back at Nova.

"Come at me Meno!" Nova shouted, egging her on. The crowd of confused bodies then began to scream and shout, all fighting against one another in a chaotic rumble.

"ENOUGH!" Carver shouted with a voice loud enough to be heard through the entire void. Everyone stopped and turned to look at the former champion, who looked altogether frustrated, "Fighting with each other isn't going to get us out of this…I suggest we follow Advent."

"Traitor…" Meno scoffed, crossing her arms.

"I agree," Dove chimed, drifting up next to Aerrow.

"Yes," Anaxagoras nodded, "Let's get ourselves out of this situation and fight on another day."

"Anaxagoras!" Meno shrieked, pulling on her companion's shoulder as he angrily pushed her away.

"What Meno!" He scoffed, rolling his eyes at her, "Do you expect me to stay trapped in here in the name of our master?"

"She can stay in here for all I care," Anaximenes whispered into Cyrus' ear as she let out a slight laugh.

"Well," Advent then began once the crowd of tournament losers had all turned their attention towards her, "I…ah…" She began, scanning all if their faces.

_Oh dear…_she thought, _clearly I hadn't thought all this through…_

* * *

"What's going on in there?" Cloud asked curiously as she and Stork sat at a table in the main hall of the headquarters, looking at the reliquary curiously. The object was pulsing infrequently with a green light, making it rather interesting to watch now that the relic was no longer dormant, but also had them concerned at the same time.

"…touch it…" Stork commanded not taking his eyes off of the reliquary.

"I'm not touching it…" Cloud replied disdainfully, "You touch it…"

"Jevanni," The Doctor began, turning to the statuesque Valkyrie, "What do we do now?" She inquired, staring down at the object.

"Why don't we just smash it?" Cloud asked, "If this thing makes Cypress more powerful…wouldn't it make sense to get rid of it?"

"And in theory it should release everyone inside," The Doctor stated.

"Then let's do it," Stork quivered nervously, as he lifted a large wrench above the smooth glass shaft of the reliquary.

"No," Jevanni exclaimed, rushing up beside Cloud and Stork and seizing his arm, "Destroy the reliquary and you will destroy every soul inside…they will become unstable and tear apart."

"But…" Cloud asked, turning to Jevanni, "If we can't destroy it…then how do we set everyone free? Could…could you do it?"

"That is absolutely out of the question," Jevanni stated, scoffing at Cloud as she gave her the cold shoulder. Cloud's ears drooped as the Valkyrie strode away from them, "As a matter of fact I have interfered on this mortal plane quite long enough. There is not much left I can provide for you. Sadly it is up to the two of you to sort out _this _mess."

"_This _mess?" Stork asked, raising an eyebrow in a slight confusion and sounding a little panicked.

"Of course," Jevanni replied, turning around to face them, "There's the problem of the souls, but once the souls are free…where are they going to go? Most have no bodies to return to."

"We hadn't thought about that…" The Doctor stated, biting her nails as she looked back and fourth between the two remaining guardians and Jevanni.

"As I said," Jevanni sighed, crossing her arms as she looked down at the three mortals, "You may sort out this mess…allow _me _to figure out where the souls are going to go once freed." She concluded, heading out of the main hall of the resistance headquarters, "I'm returning to the Old God's domain…as I said before, I've interfered here long enough."

"WHERE IS IT!" A voice screeched, booming throughout the air and echoing throughout the hall of the headquarters. They immediately recognized the hateful cry. Cypress was coming. And from what it sounded like, to say she was mad would be an understatement.

"And not a moment too soon," Jevanni stated as the three mortals rushed past her, through the foyer and out under the awning of the headquarters, "I wish you luck…" She stated placing the reliquary in Stork's hands, just before disappearing in a flash of dull grey light.

"Wa-wait! What!" Stork exclaimed, turning around, clutching the reliquary and noting that Jevanni was now gone, "She left us! She…she just left us!"

"Uh…" Cloud began, pointing up at the sky, "Stork…"

"What!" He exclaimed, turning to Cloud, still clutching the reliquary.

"Look," She commanded, not taking her eyes off of the sky. The air was bitter cold as black clouds clustered in the sky above the headquarters, darkening the already dark skies of Lumina City. Light snow began to fall, but that wasn't what caught their attention. Lighting streaked through the bleak clouds and thunder clapped with each flash, the snow fall quickening over the city as the storm worsened.

"Where is my reliquary…" Cypress growled, emerging from the sheet of falling snow with Anaximander in tow.

"We have it right here," Cloud exclaimed, stepping out in front of Stork and the Doctor as Stork held the relic close to him, but outward enough to let Cypress see.

"Hand it to me!" Cypress shouted, outstretching her arm before her.

"No!" Cloud replied defiantly.

"Lenora," Stork began, turning to the Doctor, "Get inside."

"I won't leave y-" The Doctor began.

"Enough," Stork exclaimed, pushing her into the foyer of the headquarters and throwing the doors shut, "Sorry Lenora."

"Damn it Stork!" Doctor Constantine exclaimed, slamming her hands against the doors. She tried wrenching the doors back open, but the wind of Cypress' frigid storm was barring against them.

"Return to me the reliquary," Cypress demanded coldly and calmly, taking another step towards them.

"Stop," Stork shouted, stepping beside Cloud and holding the reliquary high above his head, "D-don't come any closer!" He quivered as Cypress stopped dead in her tracks.

"Wh-what are you doing…" Cypress inquired, sounding on edge as she gently moved towards Stork, the snowfall becoming lighter as she did so.

"I'll smash it right now!" Stork stated, not making eye contact with Cypress as he looked down at the stone staircase below him.

"NO!" Cypress exclaimed.

"Stork what are you-" Cloud gasped, reaching for the relic.

"Go with it…" Stork snapped, pushing Cloud away from him. Cloud looked over to him and nodded, as she turned to Cypress as well.

"We're not afraid," Cloud snapped, nodding at her, "You'll be powerless without it…"

"On one condition," Stork gulped, hoping that Cypress wouldn't call his bluff.

"What would that be," Cypress growled, watching the object carefully as her heart pounded, hoping the object wouldn't 'conveniently' slip out of Stork's hands.

"If you can release the souls from the reliquary," Stork began, sounding more at ease as he lowered the reliquary from above his head, "I'll give it back…all of the souls."

"That's all?" Cypress asked with a slight smile as the snow storm now dissipated into nothing more than a slight flurry, "Well then…hand it to me…and I'll do so immediately." She stated darkly, holding her hand out to the pair.

"Not yet," Stork stated strongly, holding his ground before the witch, "One more thing."

"What?" Cypress commanded as she rolled her eyes. Stork held the reliquary high above his head one more time at the ample altitude for smashing as he descended the limestone steps, heading towards Cypress, her look of content fading.

"Give me," Stork commanded, looking scared, calm, nervous, and strong all in the same face, "Your word…" He demanded, standing a few feet from Cypress with his hand outstretched towards her, the relic still held high in the air. Cypress first growled, but then her anger faded and rather, she now looked impressed. Cypress strode towards him, not taking his hand, but just looking to him. Both Anaximander and Cloud looked at them both, equally confused.

"Alright," Cypress nodded, gently taking Stork by the hand, "I'll see this your way…and I give you my word." She concluded, shaking the Merb's hand. Stork looked over to her and reluctantly handed her the reliquary. After all, she had given her word and he had promised it to her if she did so. Cypress took the seemingly lifeless object in her hands and nodded to him. He expected her to being laughing manically and to rescind on their deal, but rather, she said nothing.

Cypress took in a deep breath as she pressed the reliquary to her lips. She pulled the object away and whispered something silently against the surface of the relic. Instead of the sinister green glow it used to emit, the artifact began to glow with a blinding white light that grew and grew, that started in at the end of the steps, and grew to consume the entire city. However, as quickly as it came, the light faded and when it did so, the reliquary was now radiating with the same sickly green aura it always had been.

"It has been done," Cypress nodded, turning away from Stork and Cloud and walking away from them.

"If you're lying to us-" Cloud shrieked, taking a few heated steps towards her.

"I gave my word," Cypress stated, turning around to face her, "And a valkyrie never goes back on their word, fallen or otherwise…remember that my dear." She stated with a slight laugh as she and her minion walked off into the streets of the city.

"Do you think she really set them all free?" Cloud asked, turning to Stork, looking worried.

"Only one way to find out," Stork gulped as he and Cloud pushed open the doors of the headquarters.


	54. Chapter 17: The New Twilight Knights

"Master," Anaximander began calmly and flatly, as Cypress nestled comfortably in her frost coated throne, "Pardon me but what were you thinking?"

"Releasing the souls you mean?" Cypress replied with a slight sigh as she held her precious reliquary in her hands, closer to her person now more than ever, "A minor setback…I assure you. I'll have their souls again and I'll be even more powerful than I am now."

"Then why set them free?" Anaximander asked quietly, looking out on to the balcony of the throne room and down on to the streets of New Atmosia.

"Do you not understand Anaximander!" Cypress hissed, rushing up beside the watery haired triplet. She pointed the reliquary dauntingly in his face, "I sold my soul for this thing!" She exclaimed, seizing the collar of his uniform, "If it is destroyed…then so am I!" She stated darkly, throwing him to the ground.

"Master I didn't think-" Anaximander began.

"No you didn't," She scoffed, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she regained her composure and tucked her mortality beneath her robes, "None of you ever do…But you're not here to think."

"Oh how perfect it is to be back in New Atmosia!" Anaxagoras exclaimed, bursting through the doors of the throne room with Meno and Anaximenes behind him, "Where I'm treated like the royalty I rightfully am."

"Please…" Anaximenes scoffed, rolling his eyes as Cypress strode over to the three.

"Anaxagoras," Cypress cooed as she wrapped her arms around him, uncaring of who was in the throne room, "My sweet little fool, of course you're royalty."

"Cyrus has been detained," Meno interrupted, breaking up the pair. Cypress broke away from Anaxagoras and turned to her, crossing her arms as she listened, "We know she has been feeding information to the Twilight Knights for some time…although we haven't been able to find her accomplice." At these words, Anaximenes gulped but made an effort not to look too suspicious.

"That's not important right now," Cypress began, shaking her head, "What of Carver? Did you manage to detain him before returning?"

"In the chaos we weren't able to find him…" Meno stated reluctantly.

"And his access passes in and out of the city?" Cypress asked, staring off into the distance, "His keys to the stockades and the vaults? He still has them?"

"I'm afraid he does," Meno snapped, looking to the triplets, "And he's still in Lumina City…where as you were so eager to return to New Atmosia-" Meno growled. Anaxagoras opened his mouth, moving to start on her.

"No matter," Cypress interrupted, raising her hand to silence them both, "If Carver returns to New Atmosia, we will know of it. The point is that we're now back to square one…and I am down to four lieutenants."

"Make that sssix," A voice hissed from within the shadows of the throne room. Cypress and her remaining four turned and noted two figures stepping out into the center of the throne room.

"Repton," Cypress smiled darkly, looking to the raptor, "What a…pleasure it is to see you…but I must say I'm quite surprised. And you?" She inquired, turning to the young hooded woman standing beside him. She pulled the robe off of her body and kneeled before Cypress.

"You may call me Noah…" She began, "Master."

"I know of who you are," Cypress began, walking towards them both, "But I must ask…what are you two after?"

"Ssssomething only you can provide," Repton replied with an equally dark smile.

"What would that be?" Cypress asked indifferently as Repton and Noah looked over towards Meno and the triplets.

* * *

Chapter XVII.

The New Twilight Knights

"That's one hell of a story Stork," Nova laughed, kicking her feet up on the tabletop map of Atmos in the center of the headquarters. Hours had passed since Cypress lived up to her word and released the souls from the reliquary, and Jevanni fulfilled her end of the bargain as well. When Stork and Cloud had entered the headquarters they had found every tournament hopeful that had been bested, standing confused and very much alive within the halls.

"I can't believe you two fought off Cypress all on your own," Piper chimed in as everyone gathered around Stork and Cloud to hear the story of how they managed to pull it all off.

"Indeed," Cresselia smiled, looking from her time twin, to Stork and Cloud, "You've managed to do what the two of us haven't been able to do in centuries."

"We really didn't do much fighting…" Cloud began sheepishly, "And really…you guys have Stork to thank! If it wasn't for his incredible bluff, we might have been captured with you."

"Way to go Stork!" Junko laughed, punching Stork 'gently' in the arm. Stork just laughed nervously, looking around the hall at all the freed twilight knights and various fighters.

"I'm just glad this whole tournament is over!" Sora exclaimed, shaking her head, "At least we can put this all behind us."

"I just can't believe that monster Repton," Starling scoffed, crossing her arms, thoroughly disgusted, "He, and that witch Noah, running off to New Atmosia like that."

"Who needs 'em," Aerrow began with a shrug, "They're both creeps and if Cypress wants them…she can have them."

"Well I am zo glad to be free," Dove chimed in, sitting in between Aerrow and Finn, "And thankz to all of you I 'ave my body and my life back! I owe everything to you Twilight Knights and ze Reziztance."

"Oui!" The other Rebel Ducks shouted in cheers, "For ze Twilight Knights!"

"After all the crud we've been put through out there," Suzi-Lu then shouted, "You can count on the Absolute Zeros too."

"You can bet on the Third Degree Burners too!"

"And the Screaming Queens!"

"The Neck Deeps too."

"And the Buff Buzzards!"

"I say! And the Rex Guardians will be joining this crusade as well!"

"And the Murk Raiders lassy…" Captain Scabulous called, walking up to the crowd of Sky Knights and fighters from behind, with Skyler following close in tow.

"Captain," Advent began with a slight smile and a salute as he headed towards her. He and Skyler bowed before her as Advent lowered her arm, "What brings you here?"

"We've come to offer what we have to the Twilight Knights and the resistance," Skyler stated flatly, looking up to Advent, "You've done much for the two of us in the past."

"And it's come to my understanding that you may be in need of a ship my dear," The Captain began with a somewhat playful smile as he rose to his feet and looked down at Advent, "Or perhaps you'd like to be stuck in Lumina City forever?"

"No foolin!" Finn exclaimed, "You've got a ship!" He shouted as a roar of excited murmurs erupted from the large group.

"Is it true?" Advent inquired, raising an eyebrow with interest.

"Not just a ship," The Captain stated with a nod, "_The _ship. The Blood Crow is now exclusively ours."

"With my some help," Skyler stated with a slight laugh, "We were able to procure a few things back from Cypress."

"Like what?" Aerrow asked, walking up beside Advent.

"Like us," Matteo exclaimed, walking into the hall of the resistance headquarters with Cyrus close behind him. Matteo looked bruised and looked like he had been put through the ringer in Cypress' stockades, but nothing he couldn't handle. Zelkovitz burst through the crowd and rushed up to her only child, wrapping her arms around him and the room burst into cheers.

"Cyrus…" Advent began, rushing towards her, but then stopping just before, "I thought…you…"

"No," Cyrus began, shaking her head, "I'm a Twilight Knight again." She smiled, kneeling before Advent and taking her hand, "Now and forevermore."

"I'm impressed Matteo!" Ace began, walking up to him, "But how did you manage to escape from New Atmosia?"

"With my help," Carver began, walking into the hall as silence flooded the room at the sound of his voice, "I…I gave Skyler and the Captain the access keys…to the stockade…"

"Why would you help us?" Piper hissed, giving him an icy cold glare.

"Because," Cloud began, rising to her feet and walking towards Carver, "Like a lot of people in this room…he was under Cypress' control." She stated, taking Carver by the hand, "_Was _under her control. But trust me…he's one of us."

"Seriously?" Ace scoffed, raising an eyebrow, "I call bullshi-"

"No," Cyclonis interrupted, walking towards them both, "I believe her. I mean…I was under Cypress' control too. And everyone here gave me a second chance. Isn't that the beautiful thing about the Twilight Knights? It's a place for second chances. I say…welcome to the fold." Cyclonis exclaimed with a smile as she extended her hand to Carver. He gave her a surprised bur nervous smile as he took her by the hand and shook it.

"Well…" Leto began, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that ensued, "What are we doin' sittin' around for? Da tournament be ova! Let's celebrate!"

"I'll drink to that!" Nova exclaimed, jumping from her seat and rushing to find the nearest bottle of beer she could find. Everyone then immediately began clamoring and cheering and singing now that they had reason to celebrate.

"Hey Advent!" Aerrow shouted with drink in hand and Piper at his side, "Cresselia! Speech!"

"Yeah! Speech! Speech!" The crowd shouted as Advent and her younger time twin smiled and nodded as they stood in front of the entire crowd of people.

"Sky Knights," Advent addressed as Cresselia stood at her side, "Twilight Knights, Raiders, and Fighters of all…today is a day of victory and unity!" She stated boldly as they clapped and cheered.

"You all stand before us no longer as single competitors and enemies," Cresselia continued, looking over them all hopefully, "But as one amalgamated entity."

"Cypress pitted us against one another in an attempt to break us," Advent rallied, "baiting us with money and power. But in her plans she brought us closer together."

"But it's time we start fighting back!" Cresselia cheered, "We need to let Cypress know that we are not afraid of her any longer! We have an army! We have the power! We are the new Twilight Knights and we are not going to back down!" She rallied as the group responded with immense cheers and shouts.

"Well the tournament is over," Ace began as he held Starling by the waist with one arm, and held a drink in the other hand. The rest of the guardians stood around him in a circle by one of the windows in the hall of the headquarters along with Doctor Constantine and Carver, "Matteo and Cyrus are back on our side. Cypress ran back to New Atmosia with her tail between her legs…things are looking up."

"Although this doesn't mean that this is over," Aerrow began direly, turning to Ace, "Cypress will recover and-"

"Oh Aerrow can you relax just for tonight," Piper began with a slight laugh as she placed her finger to his lips, "Just enjoy yourself and we can worry about Cypress tomorrow."

"Alright," Aerrow replied with a light smile as he leaned in to kiss Piper.

"Wait a minuet!" Sora exclaimed, interrupting the pair's moment, "So…if the tournament is over…then who is the new champion?"

"That's a good question Sora…" Cyclonis began, leaning back against Finn as he stood with his arms wrapped around her waist.

"Well…" Carver began, sounding a little depressed, "I was defeated by Meno so, I guess that would make her the new Champion."

"…Oh…" Sora began, looking down at the ground as everyone in the group got suddenly quiet.

"Now hold on for just a moment!" The Doctor exclaimed, as everyone perked back up, looking over to her, "Stork…you bested Meno in the last few seconds of your match!"

"So…that would mean-" Cloud began, thinking it over.

"NO!" Stork exclaimed in a panic, "That's just not possible!"

"I don't believe it!" Junko laughed, lifting Stork up, "Stork's the new red palace champion!" He cheered as everyone in the circle laughed.

"Come on Stork," Aerrow smiled as Junko placed him back down on the ground, "You should be honored to be the new Champion."

"I'll pass…" Stork grumbled, thinking about being forced to compete again next year, "Thanks…"

"Well as long as you're the new champion," Carver began, walking towards Stork, "Then I suppose you'll need this." He stated, handing a small, square, grey device to Stork, "It's the champion's access pass. It unlocks doors and city gates to just about every port on every terra."

"T-thanks," Stork nodded reluctantly, taking the access pass from Carver.

"That pass also makes you one of Cypress' technical lieutenants," Carver stated, nodding to the pass, "Show it to the sentries and the city guards and they'll do about whatever you tell them."

"That'll be more useful than you know," Ace stated, placing a hand on Carver's shoulder.

"Also," Carver added, taking off the ruby necklace hanging around his collarbone, "This is yours now too…" He stated, placing it in Stork's hand, "It's the mark of the Red Palace Champion. Just trust me on this one…having this is _useful_." He whispered to Stork, giving him a wink just before walking away. Stork looked confused, but put the necklace on anyway.

"Not to be _this guy _or anything," Finn began, scratching the back of his head, "But ah…wasn't there a pretty impressive cash prize for the new champion as well?"

"For the winner?" Carver began, taking Cloud in his arms, "Yes there was…but I doubt Cypress will hand it over now."

"That's a shame," Starling began, looking down at the ground, "We could really use finances like that especially now that we have so many new allies."

"Then let me help with that," Carver began, looking at all of their faces, "I've got more money that I know what to do with…I'll meet the financial needs of the Twilight Knights."

"That's a pretty generous offer there Carver," Ace began, narrowing his glance towards him.

"I want to do anything I can to make up for my stupid mistake of ever joining Cypress in the first place," Carver began direly, looking back at Ace, sensing that he was skeptical of his motives.

"Everything helps," Aerrow interrupted, sensing hostility between the two, "Like Piper said, let's just focus on tonight."

"Sounds good to me!" Starling laughed, taking a drink.

"Well I don't know about the rest of you guys," Sora exclaimed, changing the subject of the conversation, "But I can't wait to actually touch a charged crystal again!"

"Ugh!" Cyclonis groaned, rolling her eyes, "I know what you mean! It's been killer, right Piper?"

"Don't get me started," Piper sighed, waving her at the pair as the group began to laugh.

"I can't wait to _procure_ myself one of the imperial skimmers for my own personal use," Aerrow stated slyly, "It's been entirely too long since I've flown."

"Preach!" Ace replied, rolling his eyes and lifting his drink in the air.

"Cloud," Starling began with a slight smile, "Would you mind coming with me for a moment."

"Sure!" She smiled, as she and Starling broke away from the group. Ace seized the moment now that the others were speaking amongst themselves and turned to carver.

"Hey," He began, as Carver looked to him, "Could I talk to you for a sec?" He commanded, taking Carver by the arm and pulling him out of the main hall of the headquarters and outside to where the gardens once was.

"What is it?" Carver asked, sounding confused.

"What's your angle?" Ace demanded, crossing his arms.

"Angle?" Carver scoffed, looking over Ace angrily, "There is no Angle! I told you, I made a mistake and I'm trying to make up for it."

"Uh-huh!" Ace snapped, pointing his finger accusingly at Carver, "Or you met some twilight knight tail and just conveniently jumped ship? I don't buy it! Listen up and listen up good! I had to do a lot of work to make up for all the bad I did in the past to be accepted. And the same goes for Cyclonis! You can't just come in here, flash your access passes and all your money and make everything magically go away!"

"And I don't expect it to!" Carver snapped, pushing Ace away from him, "And let's face it Dark Ace…this _isn't_ about you…well actually it is isn't it? You still have feelings for Cloud…and she wants me now. Deal with it…you should have thought about that before you moved on."

"Listen up…" Ace hissed, seizing Carver by the collar of his uniform coat, "And listen good you son of a bitch…Cloud is a very, very special woman to me. So is Cyclonis, so is Piper, and Sora, and the Doctor, and Starling, and every other female in that hall over there…if you do anything to hurt any of them…you can guarantee that if Cypress doesn't kill you first, I will. Are we clear?"

"Crystal?" Carver replied disdainfully.

"Good," Ace snapped, letting him go, "Now…I'm going to go back inside, have fun, and pretend that this conversation never happened. I suggest you do the same."

_This is gonna be fun_, Carver thought, following after Ace, back into the hall.

* * *

**[Message from…anyway…]: **So! Guess what everyone! We're finally finished with…the mother-chucking-tournament :D hurray! Also, ironically enough, we're finished with book one of volume II with this chapter :3 Whew…this feels weird :x never thought I'd get halfway through the series by this point! Anyway so read and review guys. As I am sure, by now you know I've disabled anonymous reviews :/ so sorry about that :P (I know you're reviewing in spirit XD) Anyway! Sorry about the kind of corny wrap up to book one, but there has to be some happiness to the death explosion that was the RPT XD and book two is going to be kind of depressing because it has to be to lead into volume III :P anyway! Enjoy the update and happy Monday everyone!


	55. Chapter 18: Conception

**[Message from KC!]:** HELLO! Anyway Hey you guys :3 Good to be back for another chapter. So here we have it! The start of book 2, Volume 2! So begs the question: We are nearing the end of the second volume, and there is only going to be volume 3 and the story is over D: Unless, you think there should be a volume 4? Anyway it's up to you guys :3 If no volume 4 then I'll spend most of my time when volume 3 is done working on RoT: Overture and perhaps doing a short spin off story :P Anyway, tell me what you guys think in the reviews :3

Also! I would like to thank Dark Lions…for everything…because he is awesome and so are his fan fictions! That is all :3 Enjoy the update you guys!

Happy Sunday!

* * *

Chapter XVIII.

Conception

It was almost as if Cypress had founded in the broken factions a new friendship. Old enemies seemed to convene as friends within the new Twilight Knights. However Advent knew that the 'honeymoon' phase of the alliances would not last forever. Before issues had a chance to arise in the faction, Advent sent them all off to work.

"Good," Aerrow began, standing over the tabletop map of Atmos centering the main hall. The rest of the twilight knights were crowded around him as Cresselia and Advent had left on a mission of their own, however no one knew to where, what it was for, or when they would be back, "So starting tomorrow we can officially begin operation outreach. Does everyone understand their positions?"

"Absolutely," Nova nodded, giving Aerrow a confident grin as she rolled out a map of New Atmosia over the table, "Using the help of the Captain and the blood crow," She began, nodding towards Scabulous, "We'll lead the first extraction team. The captain and I will hover the ship just below the rim of New Atmosia. The extraction team will enter the terra lead through the sewers by Skyler. There's a run off pipe right here." She stated, pointing to the map, "It's the only one Cypress has forgotten about."

"Mainly because it's too damn small for most men to navigate," Captain Scabulous grunted.

"But that's why we're not taking most _men_," Nova smiled, turning to her team. In truth, they consisted of some of the smallest people in the Twilight Knights: Stork, Cyclonis, Sora, Aida, Zelkovitz, Innes, and Dove, "After all, we're gonna have to crawl."

"Oh great," Cyclonis grumbled, rolling her violet eyes, "Spending the rest of our time mucking around in the mud…"

"I hate to break it to you babe," Finn began, "But that's not mud down there…"

"After Skyler leads us through," Nova continued, "And we make our way to the surface of the city…we're going to have to be quiet about this…so instead of all of us coming out of one manhole, we're going to break up into teams of two, coming out here, here, here, and here." She stated, pointing in different directions all over the city, "We essentially need to make it all the way here." she stated, pointing to a large and circled area on the map in the center.

"When you reach this point," Aerrow began, turning to those in team A, "Stork will open the security gates with his access pass. Once that's done…get here." He stated, pointing to another point in the map, "My team will take care of the rest." He stated, turning around to Ace and Carver, behind them, several other pilots.

"Once you board the blood crow safely," Ace stated, turning to the other team, "Nova and the captain will drop our team off above the imperial hangar. Fly back to Lumina City _immediately_."

"The gates should already be opened," Aerrow stated to the rest of his team, "So the hard part will already be done. Once we're inside, just grab a ride, and go."

"Once the Twilight Knights are airborne again," Nova stated, to the entire group, "Part one of operation outreach will be complete."

"So everyone get ready!" Aerrow cheered, looking to the entire group, "We leave at midnight!" the group began to chatter and discuss as they dispersed throughout the main hall, looking over maps, checking flight charts, and inspecting their weapons immediately before leaving.

"I can't wait until we start part two of the outreach campaign!" Sora exclaimed as she and her fellow female guardians were outside in what remained of the gardens behind the former consulate building.

"You mean when we _steal _something else from Cypress," Piper laughed, as she and Cloud began (gently) removing the heads and leaves off of various plants.

"It's not stealing!" Sora snapped, rolling her eyes, "It's…_rightfully_ reclaiming what is ours."

"I can't say I disagree with you," Cyclonis stated with a slight smile, "After all, step two is breaking into the crystal and weapons vaults in the royal quarter of New Atmosia…half of those weapons in there are our old ones anyway. Piper…don't you think it's disgraceful that Cypress has the _original _storm hawk's weapons, your weapons, locked away, rusting in some cold vault somewhere?"

"…let's get them back," Piper then smiled, as the girls in the group began to laugh.

"Hey Cloud," Cyclonis then began, turning to the druid, "You alright…you've been kind of quiet today…actually you've been kind of quiet ever since the tournament ended…"

"I'm fine," Cloud laughed slightly, after a few moments of silence. It was apparent she was lying, but no one wanted to call her on it, "Really…I'm fine…it's just strange…having Carver around that's all…I have to go." She then exclaimed, taking her basket of severed plant parts and rushing back into the building.

"What was that about?" Sora began, raising an eyebrow, and turning to the other girls. Piper and Cyclonis just shrugged.

"I don't know…" Piper began, shaking her head, "Should we talk to her?"

"No," Cyclonis began, shaking her head, "Just let her be."

Meanwhile, Cloud rushed into the hall, and past everyone, not speaking to a soul as she pushed past them. She rushed into Advent's alchemy lab and slammed the door behind her, placing the basket of plant reagents on a nearby table. She leaned against it for a moment and took a deep breath, hanging her head for a moment and she clutched her lower abdomen.

"Cloud," Carver began, opening the door to the alchemy lab, "Are you alright? What are you doing in here?"

"I'm fine…" Cloud began, dodging glances with him, "Why do you ask?"

"You don't seem fine," Carver snapped, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at her, "So…what's wrong?"

"Carver," Cloud began, looking down at the floor, "I'm not sure how I'm supposed to say this…but…"

"For the God's sake Cloud!" Carver began, sensing that she was skirting around the subject, "What is it!"

"…I know you have the outreach campaign going on right now!" Cloud exclaimed, "The last things you need is to be worrying about me."

"Oh save it!" Carver scoffed, "You know you're the only reason I'm here right now." He stated, crossing his arms.

"Really?" Cloud asked, turning around to face him.

"Of course," Carver sighed, looking over to her, "Who else would I be doing all this for?"

"Carver," Cloud began, with a slight sigh, "I…I am…with child…" She concluded before bursting into tears.

"What?" He asked, lifting her head up to look at her.

"I am with child!" Cloud exclaimed, "Was that not clear!"

"No I heard you!" Carver exclaimed with a smile, "Cloud…this is fantastic!"

"NO!" Cloud screamed, pushing him away, "This is horrible! You have no idea what the elders of the grove will do to us of they do not approve of you."

"Approve of me?" Carver asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Cloud nodded, rolling her eyes and wiping away her tears, "Relationships between Druids work a little differently than relationships between humans…"

"Okay," Carver sighed, scratching his head, "So…what do I have to do?"

"Advent has to know," Cloud began, "Because you and I need to travel to terra phusis…and convince my family that you're the proper mate for me…after all…it's too late, so if they don't approve-"

"It wouldn't be good." Carver concluded with a deep sigh.

"And I suppose while we're there," Cloud began, "We can work on recruiting the what remains of my people for the outreach campaign."

"I guess I'll have a lot of making up to do then," Carver began, taking Cloud by the hands, "After Cypress and I kinda messed things up the first time…" Cloud didn't say anything, she just looked down at the floor, "Everything…is going to work out just fine."

"I suppose…" Cloud began, looking up at him and giving him a smile, "But you shouldn't be worrying about me…you need to be preparing for tonight."

"Trust me," Carver stated, looking down at her, "I'm not worried about tonight's mission at all."

* * *

"Advent," Cresselia began as the pair began walking through the tremulous wastelands, "What exactly are we looking for?" She inquired as the pair headed through the blisteringly hot terrain.

"You'll know soon enough," Advent stated turning around to face her. The pair stopped before a suspiciously symmetrical mountain amidst the jagged peaks of the wastelands. At the foot of the mountain was what appeared to be a cave, hollowed out by force. Advent gestured Cresselia to follow her inside. Cresselia nodded nervously, but followed her in regardless.

"What's down here?" Cresselia commanded, looking around the dark and dry corridor as they headed down deeper into the man made passage.\

"I never remember asking so many questions in my youth," Advent stated, turning around to face her, "But if you must know…we're here to retrieve something…"

"What?" Cresselia demanded, crossing her arms as the descended further into the darkened passage.

"…so many questions…" Advent sighed, rolling her eyes and continuing to lead Cresselia down the linear passageway.

"For that matter," Cresselia began, "How do you even know about this place?"

"Simple," Advent smiled, turning around to her younger time twin, "An old friend showed it to me once before in my youth." Cresselia opened her mouth as though to say something, but realization finally struck her and a smile crossed her lips, "It's not much farther down this passageway."

"I think I see something," Cresselia stated, holding her hand at her eyes, and staring down the carved passage at a pale blue light emanating from the end of the passage.

"As I said," Advent nodded towards the end of the tunnel, "It's not much further." Both women reached the end of the passage, pushing through a small carved port hole and climbing over some disheveled rocks. Advent and Cresselia made their way into a small cave at the end of the passage. There was about a five foot drop into the cave from the entrance and about an extra two feet of water lining the cave floor. In the center of the cave was a large, semi-opaque, pale blue crystal.

"You…" Cresselia began, sounding confused as she and Advent waded through the frigid cave water, "Brought me here…for a crystal."

"No…" Advent began with a slight smile as she unsheathed her rapier and turned to the crystal. She plunged the blade into the surface of the milky blue stone, slicing through the surface of the mineral with ease.

"What are you doing!" Cresselia exclaimed, as Advent wrenched at the blade, cracking the gentle, glassy surface of the stone. Advent pulled the blade from the crystal and watched as the stone began to crumble and fall into the water, dissolving like dust. Once the crystal had cracked, there was nothing left, except for one thing lying amidst the dampened remains of the crystal, "By the goddess…there's a boy!" Cresselia exclaimed as Advent trudged through the sandy crystal remains and lifted the child out of the water. He was maybe three or four, with dusty grey hair and fair skin. He was draped in old rags and cloths, and was coated in a thin layer of the crystalline dust. The boy then began to cough and sputter, taking in deep breaths as his emerald eyes opened and he fluttered back to life.

"Shh…" Advent whispered as the child buried his face in her robes and began to cry, perhaps out of confusion and fear, "It's all right…everything is going to be okay little one." She began, lifting him up.

"Who is this kid?" Cresselia asked, moving to brush his grey hair out of his face. However the child pulled away from her, seemingly afraid and clinging even more tightly to Advent.

"He's the key," Advent stated, cradling him in her arms. He was much calmer now, and as it would seem, something about Advent calmed him down.

"The key to what?" Cresselia asked. Advent was silent. The child quickly dozed off and fell asleep in her arms and Advent began to carry him across the small cave floor, "He looks familiar somehow." Cresselia stated quietly, walking alongside Advent.

"Yes," Advent began with a smile as she extended her free hand out towards her time twin, "He should." Cresselia nodded as she took her hand and they disappeared with the child in a flash of white light.

Meanwhile, the two women had no idea that they were being watched. Within Cypress' floating hold above New Atmosia, she sat within her throne room. Cypress was leaning lazily against the frost coated arm of her obsidian throne, looking down into a large circular reflecting pool. She looked down into the water's glassy surface watching Advent and Cresselia like her own personal play troupe.

"I told you in due time that she would lead us straight to the boy…" Cypress began, looking up at the figure staring at her from across the throne room. It was a massive, towering creature that stood at about ten feet tall, with a stretched and distorted human-esque figure. It had bleak, dark, inky black skin and it appeared as though the hulking creature was drenched in shadows itself, "I see you changed your form Dar'Khan…trying to blend in with the rest of the mortals? You're not doing a very good job…" The creature didn't say anything in response. It just stared over at her with large and sunken in glowing green eyes.

"Fine…" Cypress grumbled, fed up with the dark god's refusal to speak with her, "Be that way…but as I said, I told you that Advent would lead us right to the child…it's up to you to decide what I do with my men from here." Again, the creature was silent, seemingly ignoring her, and fixating on the watery image of the child in Advent's arms.

"Fine!" Cypress exclaimed, rising from her throne, "You're nothing more than the withered husk of a formerly powerful deity anyway!" She taunted, holding his reliquary up in front of him, "I'll see to things myself…to hell with you…" Cypress growled, leaving the creature alone in the throne room.

* * *

"Cypress didn't suspect a thing!" Finn laughed, leaning against one of the old sofas in the headquarters in the waking hours of the morning. Their mission had been completed without a hitch, and the sun would soon be rising over all of Atmos (except for Lumina city of course).

"The Twilight Knights are airborne once again," Nova smiled, kicking back next to him, "Cypress better watch her back."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves everyone," Aerrow laughed, trying to settle down the somewhat overzealous group, "We still have part two yet before we can actually begin the outreach campaign."

"But there's no reason we can't start early," Advent began with a smile as she walked into the main hall, Cresselia close behind, with the child clinging tightly to her arm.

"Advent!" Junko exclaimed, as the entire room turned to her, "You're back!"

"Who's the kid?" Ace asked, looking down at the small child, now hiding behind Cresselia.

"No one you need to concern yourselves with now," Advent smiled, nodding towards him, "Anyway…Stork…if you'd be so kind…I'd like to conduct part two of this operation on my own, so I'll be needing your access pass."

"A-alright," Stork began, a little uneasily as he removed the access key from his uniform jacket and handed it to Advent.

"As for the rest of you," She began, "We're going to need all the help we can get. Tomorrow we begin the campaign, so prepare yourselves to return to your home terras…as I suspect you should be leaving in a few hours." Advent smiled as a simultaneous groan from all members of the group arose throughout the hall. They then began to disperse, readying themselves for the return to their home terras.

"Cloud," Advent then began, turning to the young druid, standing across the hall, "Could you come here a moment." She gestured, summoning her. Cloud nodded and glided across the floor and looked at Advent attentively.

"I trust that Carver will be escorting you to your home terra of phusis?" Advent asked inquisitively, looking her over.

"Why would he?" Cloud asked, scratching the back of her head.

"Because," Advent stated flatly, "I think we both know that you aren't expecting to go _alone_. The two of you are being accompanied by Anteres and Starling as well."

"Advent-" Cloud protested, as she began to walk away from her.

"That is an order Cloud," Advent snapped, turning around to face her, "I'm not nearly as foolish as you'd think…" She snapped, lowering the volume of her voice, "Starling and Ace will be emissaries of the Twilight Knights…and as for you…you and Carver find your own way in all of this." She sighed.

"How did you know?" Cloud asked, shaking her head in confusion before Advent could leave the room, "I haven't told anyone."

"I'm a mother dear," Advent stated, turning around to face her one last time, "We know these things."

* * *

**[Author Note]:** Uhm So I wasn't sure about this chapter. The little boy that Advent and C find in the cave is the boy that Dar'Khan shouts that he wants to find when he bursts through the portal at the end of volume one (i.e. the only thing he'll say in the series). Anyway, so this chapter is drenched in symbolism and there is an underlying theme in all of this *coughcough*motherhood*coughcough* I felt like this was more of a plot development chapter rather than character development (although it seems like character over plot) because there's a lot more going on in this chapter that is more relevant to the plot.


	56. Chapter 19: The Druids of the Grove

**[Message from KC]:** Hello! Sorry about the short chapter update, but I felt kind of rushed to get it done :P Anyway I hope you guys enjoy. Also, I'm sorry if I'm not really present in responding to reviews or messages :( I'm just kind of super swamped at the moment. Anyway! Happy Monday everyone and enjoy the new update!

* * *

Chapter XIX.

The Druids of the Grove

"Is something wrong?" Carver asked, as he and Cloud walked though the familiar luminescent forests of terra Phusis. She was anxiously biting her nails as she and him headed through the wilderness. Close behind the pair, Ace and Starling walked, allotting them their distance, however Ace was staring at Carver with disapproval, and Starling was looking over Cloud with disdain.

"Nothing…" Cloud replied, staring off into the grove of pale luminescent tree trunks, "Everything is going to be fine…"

"You've been saying that since we left Lumina City," Carver stated with a sigh, looking over to her with irritation and worry in his eyes.

"All you have to do is charm your way through the next eight months," Cloud replied with a deep breath, "Sounds easy enough."

"Eight months!" Carver shouted, turning to her with shock, "What!"

"We have to stay here until the child is born," Cloud stated in a hushed tone, leaning into Carver once she noticed the nasty looks being given to them by their escort party, "You'll need to prove to the elders that you're a suitable match for me."

"I don't believe this sh-" Carver began, rolling his eyes.

"Enough!" Cloud snapped, turning around and giving him a dark look, "That type of language ends here…not to mention you asked for this."

"No…" Carver began crossing his arms, as Cloud walked far ahead of him and deeper into the woods, "Actually I didn't…"

"Should we go and talk to them?" Starling asked with her arms crossed as she and Ace kept a respectable distance from the pair.

"No," Ace replied shaking his head, "And as a matter of fact…we shouldn't worry about _them_. You and I are here to make nice with the druids. We can't really afford to worry about their drama at the moment."

"And yet you're still jealous of Carver," Starling scoffed, rolling her eyes and walking ahead of him.

"Starling," Ace snapped, rushing up to her. In truth, he really had wished that she hadn't come along, but Advent's orders are law, "Damn it woman…let's not do this right now!" He moved to rush towards her, but just before he could take another step, a stone tipped arrow plunged into the ground before his feet. Ace reached for his weapon but by the time he gripped the hilt, he was already face to with his attacker.

"Stop right there!" She hissed, holding her bow and arrow in his face, "Imperialist scum…come to burn our terra again?"

She was tall and svelte and looked to be no older than sixteen or seventeen, with silvery gray lupine ears perched atop her head. Long, silvery white hair fell down around her face and down to her ankles. There was a familiarity about this young girl that Ace couldn't quite put his finger on, but at the moment, he didn't quite care.

"We're not with Cypress or the rest if the imperialists," Ace stated, pulling his hands away from his weapon and holding his hands out in front of him, "We're allies of-"

"Allies," She growled, pulling back on the bowstring, "That's a good one…no one allies with the druids…and we don't need any alliances."

"Nonalli!" Cloud exclaimed, backtracking through the brush and rushing into the clearing.

"You know this girl?" Ace asked as the druid lowered her bow and looked back at Cloud, Carver and Starling not too far behind.

"Of course I do," Cloud began with confusion as she stepped towards the young woman, "We came from the same brood mother."

"So you're sisters?" Ace asked, giving the young woman a dark glare as she pushed past her and headed towards the rest of the party.

"Not exactly," The young druid replied disdainfully, "We here in the grove do not think of siblings as you mortals do…it entails much more than just being born of the same mother. But…I digress…what are _you _doing here, Cloud? More importantly…with these outsiders."

"I need to speak to the grand elder," Cloud explained, looking down at her feet, "Nonalli…might I request an audience-"

"Why!" Nonalli snapped, crossing her arms, "You have the nerve to leave terra phusis out of nowhere, and now you just expect to come back and act as though you're entitled to an audience with the elder?"

"I didn't leave!" Cloud shouted, taking a step towards her, "I was captured by the imperialists and I've come back."

"Psh…" Nonalli scoffed, turning away from Cloud, "For how long?"

"About eight months or so," Cloud replied sternly. Nonalli turned around to face her, looking over Cloud with a dark gaze.

"So I see…" Nonalli replied harshly, looking Cloud up and down, "You are with child then? I suppose it's father is not of dryadic descent then…"

"You would be right," Cloud replied with a nod as she looked down at the ground, somewhat humiliated.

"…well I should have you know," Nonalli replied with a sharp tongue, "The grand elder is dead…he has been ever since the imperialist's raid. All of our greats are dead. Only the younglings have survived." She stated, gesturing the small group to follow her through the woods.

"Then who has taken the position of grand elder?" Cloud demanded with worry in her voice as they headed through the brush.

"I have," Nonalli replied flatly.

"She can't be more than sixteen," Starling stated with shock as they pushed deeper through the woods.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Ace replied with his arms crossed, "Cloud is nearly eighty…Nonalli could be anywhere from sixteen to sixty."

"What's left of the grove is just up ahead," Nonalli stated sternly as she turned around to face the rest of them. Cloud gulped as she followed the younger into the clearing. She pushed through the brush and stepped into what looked like a patched together neighborhood of very poorly constructed hovels. She looked around at the faces of the druids crouching and hiding in fear within the crumbling constructs. Most of them were only children with infants. Cloud bit her lip and choked back tears as she followed Nonalli. Ace let out a deep sigh as he looked around at the children.

"Kind of makes you think," Starling began, looking over at Carver, "Doesn't it?"

"Hey is that…" They heard a young boy shout from within one of the shacks, "IT IS! Everyone! Cloud's back!" he shouted as several other children and teenagers poured out from the homes and rushed towards her.

"We're so happy to see you sister Cloud!" A little girl, maybe no older than five, chimed as she wrapped her arms around Cloud's stomach.

"You came back!" another little boy shouted, "And you can be our elder now!"

"I'm so sorry," Cloud began, kneeling down at eye level with the children, "But I can't stay here for very long. My friends and I are needed in other places."

"But we need you here," A little girl wailed as she wrapped her arms around Cloud's neck.

"Please stay," A young boy shouted, "Sister Nonalli is bossy and mean! We like you! You're nice."

"I really wish I could but I'm only staying for a few months," Cloud began with a sad smile.

"There's no reason we can't stay here longer," Ace began, turning to Cloud.

"But you have to discuss the terms of Advent's negotiation," Cloud exclaimed, rising to her feet, "You can't waste your time here…"

"She's right," Starling began, placing her hand on Ace's shoulder, "We're needed back in Lumina City."

"Yeah," Ace began harshly, looking around the makeshift settlement, "And these kids need us too. Even what little of-age fighters they have won't last through another raid. I'm going to call Advent," Ace began, taking his communicator out of his jacket, "You're free to return to Lumina City Starling…once the negotiations are through anyway. But I'm staying here…at least to get these kids reestablished."

"Thank you," Cloud whispered, with tears hanging in her eyes as the children crowded around her.

"We don't need any help or handouts from filthy outsiders!" Nonalli shouted, rushing up towards Ace.

"Nonalli," A young man, holding a spear, probably one of the few able bodied fighters left, "Let them help us…there's nothing wrong with asking for help."

"We don't need any help!" Nonalli shouted, turning around to face the young man, "We remaining Phusian Druids are doing just fine!"

"Nonalli please," Cloud pleaded, walking towards her, "Look at them." She gestured to the rest of the children hiding within the shacks, "Let us help."

"…Fine," Nonalli scoffed, giving Cloud a nasty look, "But don't expect me to be grateful." She snapped, walking away from them and deeper into the broken community within the forest.

"What's her problem?" Carver asked, walking up beside Cloud.

"Nonalli has been that way ever since we were children," Cloud replied with a sigh as she leaned her head on Carver's shoulder, "She's always been too proud for her own good."

"Needless to say," Ace began, looking around the encampment, "It looks like we have our work cut out for us. We'll start tomorrow."

"What do you mean _we_?" Starling snapped, crossing her arms and looking over Ace, "This is all on _you _Anteres! What were you thinking anyway?" She snapped, walking back into the forest as so no one would hear her. Ace rolled his eyes and let out a growl of disdain as he followed her back into the brush.

"Listen," Ace snapped, pulling Starling in to him, "It's clear that this _Nonalli _girl doesn't like us very much…We need every point we can score to help our case with the remaining druids. It's obvious they need help, and they'll owe it to us later."

"Is that all this is about?" Starling demanded, looking at Ace from over her shoulder. Ace turned around to face her and gave her a dirty look.

"Drop it," Ace growled, "This isn't about you and me…and this isn't about me and Cloud. But for the record yes. I do want to stay here for reasons other than just Advent's agenda. I don't trust Carver and I certainly don't want to leave him alone with Cloud, being _pregnant_, and a bunch of _children_. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to them."

"Funny," Starling stated under her breath, "You didn't used to care."

"If this is how you're going to be," Ace stated, turning around to head back into the makeshift village, "I think you should leave."

"Anteres wait!" Starling began, chasing after him, "I didn't mean it! I'm sorry."

"Don't call me that," Ace snapped, turning back around to face her, "…I can handle the negotiations from here…I think you should go back to Lumina City now."

"Fine!" Starling shouted, with tears hanging in her eyes, "Fine! I will! I don't need you anyway!" She cried, rushing through the woods.

"…women…" Ace scoffed, heading back into the village.

* * *

"So," Cresselia began, standing beside Advent back at the new Twilight Knight's headquarters. They were standing within Advent's room, looking down at her bed, and the small young boy laying asleep on top, "What's the deal with this kid anyway?"

"Oh in due time Cresselia," Advent stated, crossing her arms and looking down at the sleeping child, "You'll learn. Either way, it's important that he stay here. I also wouldn't want any of the other knights learning of his existence just yet."

"…hey Advent," Cresselia began, turning to her time twin.

"Yes?" Advent inquired, turning to look at her.

"Uhm…" Cresselia began, scratching her head, "I mean…Cresselia is the name our mother gave us…I mean…"

"What is it you're asking me?" Advent asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why'd you change your name?" Cresselia asked, still scratching her head, "I mean…_our_ name…I mean…why _Advent_?"

"My reasons may seem insufficient to you now Cresselia," Advent stated, looking over to her past self, "But I assure you there is a reason. You will learn in due time-"

"In due time! In due time!" Cresselia shouted, stomping about the room, "I am so sick of hearing that in-due-time bullshit!"

"Enough!" Advent shouted, "I will not tolerate that language!"

"Then tell me what's going to happen to me…" Cresselia demanded, seizing Advent's arms, "Tell me what's going to happen to us!" But before Advent could answer, both women heard a small voice whimpering from behind them. They both turned to note the boy was sitting upright with large tears hanging in his eyes, awoken by the two women fighting.

"It's alright," Advent sighed, lifting him up and cradling him in her arms, "There, there." Advent sighed, giving Cresselia a nasty look as she held him.

"Hey," Cresselia began, ignoring Advent's look as she looked into the boy's face, "Sorry…I didn't mean to yell…can you talk little guy?" The boy said nothing, he merely buried his face in Advent's robes and whimpered until Cresselia stepped away, "I guess he's a mute."

"Or so you think," Advent stated with a smile as she carried the boy out of the room. Cresselia let out a slight growl as she rolled her eyes and followed Advent out of the room. Advent then stopped once she heard slight chiming noise coming from within her robes. She placed the boy down on the floor beside her, but he immediately clung to the hem of Advent's gown, not stepping away from her. She pulled her communicator out from her robes and looked down at the small screen, "It's Anteres…I thought I told him to only call in emergencies. These transmissions are still being monitored."

"Advent?" Ace's voice crackled through the speakers, "Advent do you read?"

"Yes Anteres…" Advent replied sternly, "What is it?"

"Starling may be potentially returning to Lumina City," Ace began nervously.

"You finished negotiating that quickly?" Advent began, sounding more suspicious than impressed.

"Not exactly," Ace replied with a slight sigh, "Also…I will be staying with Cloud and Carver here on Phusis for the remainder of Cloud's…term. Things here are worse than we had initially thought. I'm lending my aid as an emissary of the Twilight Knights."

"Good thinking," Advent replied with a slight smile, "You're a better politician than you know Anteres."

"I wouldn't know about that," Ace replied, the sarcasm seeping through the speakers, "How is everything on the home front."

"Well we're all wanted again," Cresselia stated, leaning over Advent's shoulder and speaking into the communicator, "Cypress found out that we raided her stores and she's pissed! There's posters of every twilight knight hanging around every inch of free space in New Atmosia and every other imperialist terra for that matter…"

"Fantastic," Ace replied, with a slight sigh, "I'm sorry Advent but these people need us…I won't be back for some time."

"That's fine Anteres," Advent sighed, "I will see you soon." She stated, closing the communicator and lifting the little boy up again.

"Well what now?" Cresselia scoffed, following after Advent as she headed into the main hall, where several of the Twilight Knights were monitoring screens or preparing maps, or doing whatever.

"We go about our business as scheduled," Advent stated, noticing who remained of the guardians sitting around the center table with Nova. All, however, except Finn. Finn was sitting not too far off from them, clutching a rather old looking piece of parchment, with a red ribbon and a gold wax seal hanging off the edge. He was reading the contents of the parchment with confusion, and looked somewhat scared.

"Finn," Advent called, walking towards him with the boy still in her arms, "What is that?"

"It's nothing," Finn shouted in a panic as he looked up towards Advent and folded the letter away, "Really…it's nothing."


	57. Chapter 20: Feral Life

Chapter XX.

Feral Life

The next few days on terra Phusis were just that, days. They went by rather slowly for the outsiders, and even for Cloud, it still didn't seem like she was welcome. It seemed that the more Ace attempted to sway Nonalli towards joining the knights, the more she let the pride get the better of her. Unfortunately, Carver wasn't having much luck either, that is, with winning over the people of Cloud's terra. Most of even the young children had recognized him from the first raid, but even though Cloud explained their unique situation, the fear still lingered in the backs of the young druid's minds.

"Good morning," Cloud began, sitting upon a small stump outside of a bungalow. She was eagerly stitching away at some garment, perhaps a cloak, a the sun gently rose over the terra, although the light could barely be seen through the dark green leaves covering the forest. Ace stooped his head out from under the small doorframe, and looked up to what little sky he saw.

"Mother of the gods…" Ace grumbled, staring at the sky, "What time is it?" He began, removing his communicator from his jacket, "Damn it…there's no signal out here…"

"…It's about four in the morning," Cloud began after a few moments of silence looking up at the sky.

"Four in the morning?" Ace scoffed, running his hand through his hair, "Why on Atmos is everyone awake?"

"Days begin early for us," Cloud stated with a slight smile, "I know you all thought I was strange when I was about roaming the ship at three in the morning, but…that's how we do things here."

"Ugh…" Ace began, looking down at his knight's uniform and letting out a sigh, "I didn't think negotiations would last this long. I thought I'd be back in Lumina city by now." He continued, fidgeting with the cuffs of his jacket.

"Do you need something clean to wear," Cloud smiled, turning to him, and biting off the piece of thread she was stitching with. She handed him a thin but clean white linen shirt. He took it accordingly and gave her a slight smile.

"Thank you," He began, laughing a little, as he began to remove his uniform jacket and black undershirt, "But how did you know I'd be needing-"

"I've known Nonalli for decades," Cloud interrupted with a slight laugh, "She so much more stubborn than you give her credit for. I knew you'd be here for more than a day." She concluded with a sigh as she looked out into space, her gaze looking a little lost and confused.

"Are you alright?" Ace inquired, taking another step towards her as he slipped the shirt on over his body.

"I will be," Cloud replied, looking up at him with a smile, "I just have a lot of worries."

"About the child?" Ace asked, inquiring as to find the root of the problem.

"Yes," Cloud began, placing her hand on her midriff, "And about Carver…" She added, letting out a long sigh, and looking up at the canopy, "I'm just…so scared that Nonalli won't accept him and…and I won't be forgiven and-" Cloud began, looking as though she was about to cry.

"I think," Ace began, kneeling down beside Cloud and taking her hand, "If you love him, and he loves you…Nonalli will see that, and respect the choices you have made as her older sister. I have faith, and you should have a little more too." He smiled, letting go of her hand and walking off into the rag-tag village.

Cloud laughed slightly as she watched him walk away and shook her head. She rose up from her place on the stump and knelt down to lift a small basket off of the ground beside it. With that, she let out another long sigh, and turned in the opposite direction, walking off into the woods.

Meanwhile, Ace set off in search of the young druid's new leader. He walked to the center of the village where he found the remnants of what appeared to be a burnt tree, nearly seven feet in diameter, but only raising about two feet off of the ground. In the center of the scarred remains, a small pale sapling was sprouting in the center, but it couldn't be too old. It was here, in front of this beacon of whatever for the young druids, Ace found Nonalli, sitting in the lotus position with her eyes closed and breathing deeply.

"What?" Nonalli demanded, without breaking her posture, opening her eyes, or even altering her breathing. Ace let out a frustrated sigh as he walked up beside the girl, "This had better be important outsider…that is…if you're interrupting my meditation!" She growled, opening her eyes, and craning her neck around to look at him.

"I've come to talk to you," Ace replied, cordially but letting her know that she was being disrespectful. He sat down on the ground next to her, crossing his legs.

"I do not trust your kind," Nonalli stated curtly, looking over at him, "My sister left to join your Twilight Knights many years ago, and she repays us by conceiving a child without the permission of the elders, and making that…_thing_ as her mate. The world outside this terra is a horrific place…and I don't want to expose the young ones to such a vial world."

"Cloud…" Ace began with a slight sigh, "Did what she did out of a broken heart…don't hold any judgment over her for that."

"Well I do," Nonalli snapped, looking down at the ground, spite in her eyes, "I don't care that she fell in love…I don't even care that she is with child…she left us when we needed her most!" Nonalli cried, throwing her hands over her face.

Ace looked down at the ground. He knew that even as old as Nonalli was, she only appeared to be a child, and in the eyes of the Druids, she still was a child. And truthfully, she was alone. For whatever reason, Ace sympathized with her at this moment, perhaps even empathized. He gave a weak smile to the young girl and attempted to place a hand on her shoulder, however his hand was thrown away by the girl as she gave him a fierce and dirty look.

"I don't need your pity!" Nonalli growled, rising to her feet.

"Nonalli," Ace shouted, rising to his feet and following after her, "Please be reasonable! You just said it yourself, that Cloud abandoned you when you needed her most…well…now _I'm_ here. And _I _want to help. _All _of the Twilight Knights do. Those bastards that destroyed your home, killed your family…we're working to defeat them and end this war. Staying on your terra and ignoring the problem won't make it go away. And I hate to say this…but if you don't join us willingly, you'll just end up joining Cypress by force, or dying in resistance."

"Or join your people and gain just a few more years," Nonalli added, a bit pessimistically, "…Fine…I do see things your way Twilight Knight-"

"Anteres," Ace began, looking at her with severity in his eyes, "Please…call me Anteres."

"Then so be it Anteres," Nonalli replied, scowling at him in response, "However, I will only agree to unite the Druids on one condition."

"What?" Ace asked, rolling his eyes, and burying his face in his palm.

"You will stay on terra Phusis," Nonalli began, taking a few steps towards him, "And you will learn the ways and the customs of our people…you and the insufferable blonde creature. You two will stay until Cloud has delivered the child. If I see you and the _other _as fit, I will agree to the union between the druids and twilight knights."

"Agreed," Ace nodded immediately, extending his hand out towards Nonalli. She gave him a strange look in response as she looked down at his hand and then to his face, "It's customary when someone makes a deal…to shake hands…" Ace began, sounding confused. Nonalli extended the wrong hand out in front of her, looking completely lost. Ace let out a sigh, as he took her hand and helped her along in the ritual.

"You people of the mainland terras have such strange traditions," Nonalli began with a slight laugh, looking down at her hand as Ace let go.

"If you're willing to learn," Ace replied with a smile, "Perhaps I could teach you some of our ways too."

"Perhaps," Nonalli replied, snapping back to her serious self as she turned away from him and began to walk away.

_What have I gotten myself into?_ Ace thought, massaging his temples, _There's no way Carver is going to be on board with learning the Dryadic way…even if he is, I doubt he's going to try at it…_Ace thought to himself as he headed back to his own dwelling within the village, _Still, I'd better inform Advent on what's going on…_

* * *

"I don't believe this," Carver scoffed. It was later in the afternoon on that very same day, and he and Ace were out in the midst of the forests of Phusis, "How is it that Cloud's the one with the problem and I'm the one who has to solve it!"

"Excuse me?" Ace asked softly, turning around to face him and tightly gripping to the two pails in his hands.

"Oh don't even," Carver snapped, tossing the buckets on to the ground carelessly, "I know you're just as pissed about this as I am."

"Actually," Ace began placing the pails gently on to the ground beside him and walking up to Carver, "I'm not. And if I was in your position, I'd be kicking some ass trying to prove that I'm a suitable mate for Cloud!"

"You know what," Carver scoffed, crossing his arms at Ace, "Ever since you became a Twilight Knight you've been acting like you're so much _better _than everyone! You're so _holier-than-thou_!" Carver growled.

"How would you know!" Ace shouted, giving him the dirtiest of looks, "You didn't even join the Twilight Knights until about a week ago!"

"I know enough okay!" Carver scoffed, rolling his eyes and beginning to imitate Ace's voice, "Oooh look at me! I'm Anteres Caylo! I'm so important because the big bad Advent Dawnrunner actually spits in my direction every once in a while! Oh but you'd better not call me the Dark Ace! Because I'm not that guy anymore, despite killing dozens of people, I swear to the Gods I don't believe in that I've changed! Oh hey by the way Dark Ace, one of these days, why don't you sit down you're new bestest buddy in the world, Aerrow, and tell him all the excruciating details of how his daddy dearest died-"

"Leave…that…out of this…" Ace growled, his red eyes flaring with wrath.

"Oh I could go on and on about you for hours," Carver laughed, unafraid and now standing face to face with him, "Or are you feeling a little defensive now that you don't have Advent here to fight your battles for you? She has your balls in a vice anyway doesn't she?" Carver jeered, but before he could continue, Ace threw his fist into Carver's face, knocking him to the ground and splitting his lip.

"Never speak that way about Master Advent ever again," Ace demanded, his voice quivering with anger, and for a second, Carver swore he saw a faint blue bolts of light flicker around Ace's fingertips, the same way they did at the tournament, "And I hate to break this to you Carver, but you screwed yourself this time around. Now pick up those damn buckets, take them to the damn well, fill them with damn water, and take them back to the Goddamn village!" Ace shouted, shoving two of the pail's in Carver's arms as Ace took his in hand and stormed off deeper into the woods in search of the well.

"I don't believe this…" Carver scoffed, wiping some of the blood away from his face as he followed after Ace.

Meanwhile, back in the village, Cloud was sitting in front of the base of the burnt tree, staring at the new sapling as she was feverishly stitching another garment. Nonalli caught glimpse of her older sister, and immediately changed her course of direction, walking towards the base of the old tree. Cloud noticed Nonalli out of the corner of her eye, but didn't look at her and instead stayed transfixed on her sewing.

"Hello sister," Nonalli began, stumbling on her words a little.

"Hello," Cloud replied, still working. Nonalli sat down next to her and looked to the sapling.

"With the help of the older, more able druids," Nonalli began, trying to make conversation, "We were able to grow back the core to the world tree…hopefully one day we can help it to grow back and we can restore out home to the way it was."

"Yes," Cloud replied with a nod.

"…I talked to your friend," Nonalli began, tucking her hair behind her ears, "He…he is a commendable man and is quite driven to say the least."

"You mean Carver talked to you!" Cloud exclaimed, with shock as she nearly dropped her needle and thread, "And…you…you approve!"

"…I spoke to your friend Anteres," Nonalli began, looking disappointed, "Your…Carver seems indifferent towards the situation at hand. Anteres seems to care very much on the other hand, about our people, and about you."

"I see," Cloud began, looking down at the ground.

"You love him don't you?" Nonalli asked with a slight smile.

"No…" Cloud began, shaking her head in protest as she looked to her sister, "I…I…love Carver?"

"You say that as though you are asking if you love him," Nonalli replied with a sigh, "If the question of love is posed…than I doubt it's love."

"And how would you know?" Cloud scoffed, looking away from her.

"You forget dear sister," Nonalli began, rising to her feet, "I've had to grow up much faster than you have…now…if the father of your child was Anteres…I would whole heartedly bless the union…but that isn't the case." Nonalli concluded, walking away from her. Cloud let out a sigh, but then turned suddenly as she heard footsteps rustling from within the forest nearby. Two figures came into focus and she noted it was Ace and Carver.

"Where have you two been?" Cloud asked, laughing slightly, but then taking notice of Carver, "What on earth happened to you!" She exclaimed, rushing up to him.

"I…" Carver began as Ace shot him a dark look, "I tripped on a root and fell…it's nothing."

"Here," Cloud began with a slight grumble as she touched her fingertips to the small wound and they began to emit a pale greenish light. She pulled them away after a few moments, and other than some dried blood, the wound no longer remained.

"Thanks," Carver began, giving little effort at this point. Ace shot him another dark look, and Carver let out a growl and instantly changed his attitude towards her, "Is there ah…anything I can do for you?" He asked with a fake smile.

"No I'm alright," Cloud nodded, "but what were you two doing in the first place?"

"Nonalli has asked us to complete some tasks and help the other druids around the village," Ace stated, "Some of the homes needed water for the day, but we still have to go fetch more."

"Oh let me help you with that," Cloud began, reaching for the pails down at Ace's feet. However, he seized her by the shoulders and gently pushed her away.

"Not in your condition you're not," Ace began, raising an eyebrow at her, "The only thing you need to be doing is resting."

"He's right," Carver added with a slight nod, "The last thing we'd want is something to happen to you."

"_Or _the baby," Ace added after a second or so of silence, and jabbing Carver subtly in the side with his elbow.

"I was getting to that damn it!" Carver growled.

"Now go," Ace began with a smile as Cloud nodded and walked back into the village, her skirt swaying at her knees as she moved, and Ace stayed transfixed on her every motion.

"Hey…" Carver snapped, punching Ace in the arm, "Quit making eyes at my girl!"

"_Your girl_!" Ace asked, unaffected by Carver's punch, "First of all, five hours ago…you could cared less…now all of a sudden she's your property!"

"Not exactly," Carver replied, giving Ace a devious smile as he took his buckets of water in hand, "But if you still want her…than I want her now even more."

"You son of a bitch…" Ace growled, watching him walk away.

* * *

The next few weeks went by rather quickly, for Ace and Carver that is. Nonalli's conditions for them were clear and concise, although rather demanding. All she asked of them was to carry out tasks that would otherwise be too much for the younger druids of the grove, such as making repairs to their ramshackle bungalows, hunting for food, and gathering other necessary supplies that one could only obtain by venturing into the more _unfriendly _parts of the woods.

In addition to these chores she assigned for them, they were both also instructed to learn the ways of the Druids. For Ace, it was so he could have a better understanding of their people if they joined the Twilight Knights. For Carver, regardless of he was accepted into the grove or not, he was required to learn so that he and Cloud's child could be raised properly as a druid by both parents. Nonalli took special care to make sure that both Ace and Carver were keeping up on their duties to the villagers, and to their studies. And it seemed as though the more they spent time on the terra, the more popular they grew amongst the people, particularly the young ladies of the terra.

However, for Cloud, things were not so forward or exciting. Given her condition, she wasn't allowed to assist in any way. The most she could do was sit behind at a fair distance and watch. The days seemed rather slow for her, and as each day passed, she could swear she saw herself getting a little bigger, and a tiny bump was forming. To which, in order to be appropriate, she now wore a long and pale white linen gown that stretched all the way down to the ground to cover most of her body. All of the other druids seemed rather excited for her to have the child, but there was a fear in the back of Cloud's mind that continued to grow. She didn't know why, but she knew she just didn't feel right about the child.

"Good job boys," Nonalli began with a smug smile, her eyes closed and sitting in front of the burnt tree as Ace and Carver carried sizable tree limbs through the center of the village behind her, "And when you're done gathering the necessary supplies you need to fix the healing tent, you can fetch the village's water for the day…"

"I swear…" Carver growled, clenching his fists.

"It's not worth it…" Ace began, lowering his fists, "Besides…I'd like to think of it…" He growled, as he threw a massive tree limb over his back and began dragging it behind him, "As…hard…work…builds…character…" He grumbled, dragging the limb behind him.

"Wow," Cloud began, walking up to her sister from behind, "The village looks wonderful. You really knew how to put those boys to good use."

"Indeed," Nonalli replied, looking to her sister, "They have helped to restore our village for what little time they have been given, but they have much to learn…tell them both to meet me here tonight at midnight…I have much to discuss with them."

"Of course," Cloud nodded, as Nonalli closed her eyes and continued her meditation.

* * *

"So," Carver began, as he and Ace headed to the center of the village much later that night, "What do you think crazy Nonalli wants to talk to us about?"

"Probably just another lesson on druidism," Ace began with a sigh, trying to avoid as much eye contact with Carver as possible. The pair remained silent for the duration of their walk until they both reached the site of the burnt tree. They found Nonalli in front of it, with her eyes closed, mediating as usual. The sapling growing from the ruin however, was glowing slightly, much like the other trees of the forest, it was emitting a pale light form its ghostly bark within the darkness.

"Good," Nonalli began, "You're both here…" She added, rising to her feet. She climbed into the burnt remains of the large tree and climbed to the center where the sapling grew. She placed her hand gently on the trunk and then turned to the two men, "This is all that remains of the fabled world tree. Our home was destroyed by the dark woman and her men…and burnt to the ground. Our lives, our homes, and the entire foundation of the grove could be found within the great and awe inspiring trunk of the world tree, so when the monster set it ablaze, she not only destroyed our homes, but the very foundation of our people."

"That's terrible," Ace began, watching Nonalli, and oddly entranced by what she was saying. Where as, it seemed that the guilt of the moment seemed to be eating away at Carver.

"The more experienced Druids that remained aided me in nurturing the sprout that managed to survive the attack," Nonalli continued, "This little sapling will become the core, the support, and the foundation of our future home, and will soon re-grow into the world tree…with time." She continued, "However, the roots of the world tree still grow beneath us, and no matter how many times the dark woman burns the world tree to the ground, life will find a way. For the roots of the world tree do not just grow beneath terra phusis, but throughout this entire world." Nonalli continued, gesturing them to step on to the burnt ruin with her. The obliged, climbing on to the old remains of the tree, and standing on each side of her, "As I said, life will find a way. The world tree links us all, not just physically by terras, but on another plane. We are all connected in this world."

"All of us?" Ace asked, turning to Nonalli.

"Of course," She replied stoically, giving him a nod, "Do you think you're so different than myself, or even Carver, or anyone else on Atmos? No matter how you chose to divide yourselves, we are all living beings. And embracing that connection with all living things on Atmos, that is what we druids believe to be truly important in life." Nonalli stated, taking each of their hands in hers, and pressing them to the trunk of the sapling. Each of them, without speaking to one another, or looking to each other, understood the gravity of what was happening. Ace closed his eyes and bowed his head in respect, and Carver did the same. However, their meditation didn't last long, as the silence was pierced by a blood curdling scream.

"What was that!" Carver exclaimed, pulling away from Nonalli.

"That sounded like Cloud!" Nonalli exclaimed, as the two men followed after her towards Cloud's bungalow. The three rushed inside to find Cloud collapsed on the floor, still screaming in pain as she clenched her womb, bright red soaking through her once white dress.

"What should we do!" Ace exclaimed, turning to Nonalli.

"Nothing!" Nonalli shouted, as she rushed out of the dwelling, pulling them with her, "Except stay out of our way! I need healers! Now!" Nonalli shouted throughout the village as lanterns lit throughout the small houses. Several young women rushed from their bungalows with their younger siblings watching in confusion, "It's Cloud! Hurry I don't think there's much time!" Nonalli exclaimed as she shuttled four young women into the bungalow to assist her sister. She pulled back the curtain that supplemented as a door and Ace and Carver stood outside, waiting.

It lasted for what felt like hours. The young druids rushed in and out of the shack, carrying buckets of the reddish water and tossing it into the woods, only to fill them back up and rush back into the shack. Cloud was screaming in agony the entire time, and both men felt helpless. Finally, after a few moments, Cloud's howls of pain ceased. Ace moved to rush inside, only to be stopped by Carver, who shook his head in opposition. Nonalli then exited the bungalow, looking helpless herself. She looked over to Carver and opened her mouth as though to say something.

"Yes?" He asked, clenching his fists out of anticipation.

"I'm so sorry," Nonalli began, looking up at him, "But…the child is gone…she had a miscarriage." Carver looked like he didn't know what to say in response. He wasn't sure if he should be upset, or relieved.

"Is Cloud alright?" Ace asked after a few moments of silence.

"She will be," Nonalli nodded, heading away from them, "Now if you'll excuse me…"

"What was it?" Carver asked, just before Nonalli was out of earshot.

"…It was too early to tell," Nonalli replied sadly, without turning around to face him. She stayed still however, taking a few deep breaths, and attempting to choke back something. However, she then turned to the two men and looked to Ace, "Anteres…I accept your offer…"

"That's good to hear Nonalli," Ace replied with a nod, looking down at the ground.

* * *

"I see…Yes I understand…of course, preparations will be made for her recovery…good, it's nice to hear that your efforts were not in vain…well it will be a relief to have you back in Lumina city, even under such unhappy circumstances…we shall await your arrival…Starling has been acting normally, why do you ask?…I see, thank you Anteres. I will see you soon." Advent concluded her conversation, closing her communicator and placing it on the desk in front of her.

"Ace is returning to Lumina City so soon?" Nova began, sitting on the desk within the headquarters, "I thought for sure he'd be gone for another six months! He managed to convince the druids in less than a third of that time! I gotta give that guy more credit I mean one month is nothi-"

"Cloud had a miscarriage," Advent stated direly, staring off into space, "Once she is able to travel…they'll be leaving terra Phusis."

"Oh…" Nova began, the news almost appearing to weigh her down, "Damn…are you serious?"

"The poor girl wasn't even through her first trimester…" Advent sighed, shaking her head, "But we must look at this from a different perspective. How much use would Cloud or Carver honestly be to us with a child?"

"You're one to talk," Nova shrugged, speaking honestly, "You got that weird quiet kid running around here…"

"That's different," Advent replied.

"What's your deal with him anyway?" Nova asked.

"It's not important right now," Advent replied, her gaze affixed on nothing, "And it doesn't concern you."

"No…" Nova began, leaping off of the desk, "I don't like that Advent…I'm your right hand woman and it seems like you've been keeping more things from me than you usually have been…" She concluded, walking out of the room.

"People just need to mind their own damn business," Advent growled massaging her temples.

* * *

**[Message from Kingdom Come]: **Hello world! I am so sorry that this chapter was so dark and sad and dismal and depressing, especially a day before Christmas D: But oh well! I finished it now and you're getting it on xmas eve! Deal with it! Also…I know I've been talking about them a lot in my messages and ANs but the upcoming sequence of chapters are the Heissigaurt chapters 8D Yipee! I've been having so much fun working bit by bit on these chapters and I now get to put them out! Anyway if I don't get it produced before the end of tomorrow or before Sunday morning Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you guys! I started writing an 'easter egg' type of chapter for ROT that's all Christmas themed-ish and hope to have it out on Christmas day :P

Also, sorry it took me so damn long to put out this chapter guys ): please forgive me!

HAPPY FRIDAY AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYPONY!


	58. Chapter 21: Night Terrors

Chapter XXI.

Night Terrors

-One Month Prior-

Advent and Cresselia entered the great hall of the resistance headquarters, Advent cradling the mysterious and silvery haired young boy in her arms. They noticed all of the Twilight Knights making plans, drafting charts, and plotting maps now that they had their newly, 'procured' resources at their fingertips. Advent smiled at them all lightly as her eyes scanned the room, however it was then when she noticed the great table map in the center of the hall. The remaining guardians, Matteo, and Nova were standing around it, discussing their next course of action, but it wasn't that which had Advent intrigued.

"Finn," Advent called, walking towards him with the boy still in her arms, as she noted the young man was sitting amidst the main hall of the headquarters, though he sat from a considerable distance from the others, clutching to a piece of parchment. "What is that?"

"It's nothing," Finn shouted in a panic as he looked up towards Advent and folded the letter away, "Really…it's nothing." He continued, thrusting the letter into his jacket, "I…I got stuff to do!" He then exclaimed, rising to his feet and rushing out of the hallway. Advent watched him suspiciously as Finn rushed through the doors. The Doctor took notice of Finn's quick exit and placed her things, mostly papers and files, down on the desk in front of her and took off after him. Advent reluctantly handed the child off to her time twin (to which the boy immediately protested) and ignored his cries of defiance as she headed off after them. Cresselia stood by, holding the small squirming boy in her arms, and watched the trio in confusion.

Finn somehow knew that he was being followed, so he quickly scrambled and searched the halls for a proper place to hide, a place where neither Advent nor the good Doctor would find him. He ducked into a small, secluded chamber off of the hall, possibly for meditation, and turned on a single lamp, so he could properly read the contents of his mysterious letter as he pulled it from his uniform Tunic. He unfolded the contents of the letter and read the small red letters written upon the surface of the bland parchment:

_Remember who you are…_

What looked like a small photograph appeared to fall from the folded letter and into his hands. It wasn't so much the mysterious, although few letters written on the page, but rather the photograph. It was in fact a portrait, not a photo, painted upon a small canvas, unbound by a wooden frame, so the painted cloth hung loosely in his hand. Painted upon it was what looked like a picture of a much younger version of himself, showing his profile. The child looked to be about five or six, wearing a white linen shirt and a golden embroidered crimson vest. The small painting seemed to be rather filthy, covered in an irremovable grayish dust. Splattered across the canvas was also what appeared to be a dried and brownish liquid that also appeared to be on the letter as well.

_What is this!_ Finn thought, staring down at the portrait. At first he thought it some sick joke, but who could he know that would want to bother him like this? He jumped suddenly as the door to his hiding place had now been opened. Doctor Constantine walked into the dark room just as Finn hurried to hide the letter from her.

"Good heavens Finn…" The Doctor began, looking him over, "It looks as though you've seen a ghost…" She continued, quickly taking the folded letter from Finn's hands.

"Hey!" Finn shouted, attempting to take it back from her. But to no avail, she unfolded the letter and he watched as the color rushed away from her face, "Give that back!"

"Where did you get this?" Doctor Constantine growled, gripping tightly to the letter in one hand and the portrait in the other. Finn stated silent, "Where…did you get this?" The Doctor asked with more severity in her voice.

"It was sent to me," Finn replied quietly, "Mail is usually sent…"

"I'm not joking Finn!" The Doctor shouted, "I need to know where you got this!"

"I don't know!" Finn shouted back, sounding scared, "There wasn't anything else written on it…"

"Listen to me," The Doctor began, pointing the letter in his face, "Forget about this…forget you ever received it…" She continued, taking the letter and folding the portrait within it, and leaving the room as Finn followed after her, reluctantly. Doctor Constantine rushed down the hall, ignoring the fact that Advent was right past her. Finn bumped into Advent just as he walked past, following after the Doctor.

"S-sorry," Finn began, nodding towards Advent.

"Finn," Advent called, as he turned around to face her, "Come here." She continued, gesturing the young man to come towards her. Finn obliged, walking back towards Advent, "Might I inquire as to what happened in there?"

"I…I don't really know," Finn replied, scratching his head.

"Might I suggest," Advent began, "That you talk to Doctor Constantine in the future…should anything else _strange_ arises."

"Yeah…" Finn nodded in confusion, turning around and following after the Doctor again. Finn took a deep breath. He knew from this moment on that both the Doctor and Advent knew something he didn't. Advent sighed too as she realized what was happening, or perhaps she just remembered. She turned away from the hall and began to walk down the passageway and back into the main chamber of the headquarters.

The Doctor on the other hand ran into her designated bedchamber. She headed across the room, locking the door behind her, and reaching for the draw to her nightstand. She removed what appeared to be a small, and worn cigar box. The container was empty, except for the locket which the Doctor removed from her neck and placed into the empty box. Quickly she placed Finn's strange letter and the portrait into the box, closed it and placed it into the drawer. She let out a long and sorrowful sigh, remembering that her box containing all of the letters from her sister were now lost with time. She remembered coming into her room, destroyed and ripped apart by and intruder, however when she realized that all that was missing was her box, she was concerned yet relieved at the same time. She had never bothered to tell Advent, for the box and its contents was the only thing in Atmos that was hers and solely a secret from Advent and the rest of the world. Had it not been for her locket, which still contained a few secrets of her past, she would have never needed to start the box again.

"Hey…" Finn's voice called from behind the door, rapping on the surface, "Uh…Doc are you okay?"

"Yes," The Doctor began, unlocking the door, "I'm fine…"

"Do…do you know anything?" He asked, scratching his head nervously, "About the letter?"

"Yes," The Doctor sighed with a nod, "I do…but it's something you needn't concern yourself with." She continued with a smile, "Perhaps one day…I will tell you."

"O-okay," Finn replied, looking to her strangely as he walked out of the room, _That was weird…_ He thought.

* * *

It was much later that evening, around ten o'clock. Most of the knights were still awake, however, Finn was laying on his makeshift bunk inside the men's dormitory. He was simply staring at the slats of the bunk hanging above his head. There was no one in the room, other than Matteo, who was sitting on his bunk practically at the other side of the dorm. He casually glanced over at Finn in between disassembling and cleaning his crystal lance.

"You alright?" Matteo asked, looking up from his weapon and the polishing cloth in his hand.

"I'm fine!" Finn snapped, not bothering to look over at him.

"Geeze alright!" Matteo replied, rolling his eyes and resting the lance against the wall beside him, "Sorry I asked…you've just been acting kinda strange lately. Even before that letter came…"

"…sorry," Finn replied with a sigh as he sat up on his bed, "I know you're just trying to help…"

"Leader's gotta take an interest in his crew," Matteo began solemnly, but sincere enough, "I mean…as far as I've know you, you seem kinda…well jumpy-"

"You saying I'm a coward!" Finn snapped, glaring over at him.

"No!" Matteo replied, frustrated, "I'm just saying…you got that letter today and freaked out. I wanted to know if you were okay."

"…Just got some weird news that's all," Finn stated quietly, laying back down on his bunk and looking back up at the slats of the bed above him.

"I know it's not my place," Matteo began, walking to the door, "But, was it about your arm?"

"…what?" Finn asked, looking over to him with a confused look on his face.

"I said it's not my place," Matteo shrugged, letting out a sigh, "So don't feel like you _have_ to tell me, but your arm has a twitch…Sorry of I offended you, I just thought I'd ask."

"Oh yeah," Finn replied, looking down at his left arm, "Nah…it's not offensive," He sighed, "But uhm…it's not just my arm."

"Oh?" Matteo asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"It's both arms…" Finn stated, sitting on the edge once again as he looked down at his hands, "And legs…and occasionally my eyes."

"You might wanna talk to Doc C about that," Matteo stated.

"She pulled me aside about it once," Finn added, laying back down, "Did some tests, but never told me anything else after that. I just guessed it was nothing…kinda just crossing my fingers and hoping it will go away."

"I'd talk to her again about it," Matteo stated direly, "It might not seem like much now, but that sounds like chorea to me."

"Cho-what?" Finn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Chorea," Matteo stated with a shrug, acting as if it was common knowledge, "look it up…I gotta get going, Nova's got me running some kinda mission, so I have to be briefed." He added, just as he moved to leave, "But uh…you know, if you're ever worried about anything…you know where to find me…okay?"

"m'kay," Finn stated with a nod, "Hey Matt…" He shouted just before he was out of earshot. Matteo turned around to face him once again, "Thanks…" Finn stated. Matteo said nothing, he just gave Finn a slight smile and closed the door behind him, leaving Finn alone in the dorm once again.

"Chorea huh?" Finn asked himself quietly, letting out a yawn and placing his hands behind his bed, his eyes fixed on the bunk above him, but staring into space, letting his mind wander, "It's probably nothing…" He told himself as his eyelids began to droop and close. It wasn't too long before he was fast asleep.

Several hours later, Finn awoke, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head in an attempt to awaken. He looked around the room and immediately realized he was not in the dormitory, or in Lumina City for that matter. The chamber was cold, dark, damp, and massive. He gulped as he rose from the ground to look at his dark surroundings. There was a few inches of water on the ground, and he was soaked to the marrow, and shivering from the cold. He looked down to notice he was barely clothed. All that he adorned was a think pair of linen trousers, which were loosely hanging on his hips.

It looked like he was in a stone dungeon of some kind. Rusted chains hung from the damp walls, and the only light in the room was emitting from a few dim torches and a small stream of light coming from the iron grate some several dozen feet above him. Finn shivered and began to look around the chamber, not wondering how he got there, not wondering what happened to his clothes, and just wondering how to get out.

There were three tunnels leading out of the chamber, all seeming to lead into darkness, and where the fourth tunnel should have been, there appeared to be a cell. He impulsively walked over to the cell and noticed a rusted iron wheel on the wall next to it. He figured it must have been the locking mechanism to the room. At first, he touched his hand against the metal valve with the intent to open the cell, but it was rusted shut. He began to turn the valve with a greater force at this point, but ceased once he heard a growling noise coming from within the cell.

He took a step back and peered into the darkness. At first he saw nothing, and moved to turn the wheel again, but upon closer inspection, within the chamber, beneath the shallow water was a pair of bright yellow eyes. He jumped back when he heard something splash near the submerges bars of the cell, and something cold, rough, and slimy brush over his foot. Without another thought, he turned away from the cell, his head and heart pounding.

He breathed heavily as he directed his attention to the three dark hallways. He wasn't sure quite which direction to go, but as if possessed by some outside force, he chose to go forward. He walked through the tunnel that lay dead in front of him, the water below him making gentle noises as he tread through it. The hall seemed to grow darker and darker as he walked through it, and his hands began to shake as his heart pounded even harder. It wasn't that Finn had nyctophobia, it was simply that something about this particular darkness was beyond normal, and seemed almost unnatural. He continued through the passage until he could not see his own hand in front of his face, and found himself tripping, and falling face forward on an extremely hard surface.

He looked up and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw he had just collided with a set of stairs. He pulled himself off of the ground and began to ascend the algae covered steps and headed out of the darkness, as the torches grew brighter and brighter leading up to a large crimson and rod-iron door at the top pf the steps. He pushed the door open and found himself still encapsulated in darkness, but still able to see, in another large stone room. This one however, seemed to be more of a foyer, but to where he did not know. There were large stone columns that supported the room and its dome like ceiling. There was plenty of rubble, and bits of stone brick in piles all around the room. Amidst the wreckage though there were several books, scrolls, statuettes, and other artifacts.

He walked over and lifted one of them off of the ground. It was a small bronze statue of a woman, kneeling on one knee and holding a sword out in front of her, as if praying. He carefully examined the statue, but dropped it immediately when the silence of the darkness was pierced by a harsh scream.\

"NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Came the shrill cry of a young woman. Finn's heart pounded and he breathed heavily as he approached the only door within the stone room and headed towards the sounds of the scream. He had no idea why, but he felt compelled to go and find her. He pushed open the heavy wooden door and made his way through a dark and cold stone corridor. It split off into several different passages along the way, but he felt it was best to keep heading forward.

His feet stepped down on the cold wooden floor and it creaked softly below him. He then stepped in something damp and warm. He looked down at the floor and noted he had stepped in something red and smeared all over the ground. It stretched down the dark hallway, as though someone had dragged something through it and continued to drag it through the passage.

"No…please…I beg you! Have mercy!" The woman wailed once again. He couldn't help but believe he knew that voice, and knew this woman from somewhere. Perhaps this was why he felt the urge to keep looking.

He followed the trail of the reddish liquid until he reached a large wooden door, with a small window near the top that was barred off, almost like the door of a prison cell. He gulped and touched his hand against the door, when he suddenly heard a deep growl come from within the small room.

"GET AWAY!" The woman screamed, just before everything in the room went silent, and a loud banging noise came from the other side of the door. Finn backed away, and the door flew open, and someone or something came rushing out.

"AAAH!" Finn shrieked as he fell to the ground, but quickly stumbled to his feet, rushing away from whatever it was that burst from the chamber. He didn't even bother to look back at it, he just ran. He turned the corner, moving to fast for whatever the thing was, but still hearing its monstrous growls echoing throughout the hall, and hearing its loud, lumbering footsteps.

Finn rushed into one of the rooms, his heart racing, about to burst fourth from his chest, as tears of fear ran down his face. He quickly took hold of the first heavy object (in this case, a desk) and barred it up against the door. He breathed easily, and waited a few moments as nothing seemed to happen. He let out a sigh of relief and turned his back, but at that very moment, a pounding came at the door, and the same growling sounded from the other side.

He panicked as the bolts holding the door's hinges flew from the wall. He looked around the room, looking for anything. There were a few flimsy shelves on the wall, but that was about it, except for a small cupboard, just big enough for him, gently protruding from the wall. He quickly opened it and threw out the contents within in, and climbed into the cabinet. He closed the doors, and just as he did so, he heard the sounds of the door being broken in, and the table being thrown into the room. He gently cracked the cabinet door open, to try and get a look at the creature, but to no avail, he couldn't see much of anything, just a dark and shadowy figure lumbering about the room.

_Go away!_ He thought, clenching his fists and grinding his teeth, _Just go away!_

"I will find you…" It growled with a deep and harsh voice that could chill the very fabric of someone's soul, "And I will kill you…" It wheezed from the opposite side of the room. He listened to the sounds of the footsteps pound out of the room, and he let out a long, somewhat loud sigh of relief.

His heart then skipped a beat, as immediately after the doors of the cupboard were thrown open, and he found himself face to face with a pair of dark and hollowed eye sockets.

"AAAAH!" Finn screamed, bolting upright in his bunk amidst the dorm of the headquarters. A few of the men were awoken by this, and turned to look at Finn who had broken into a cold sweat, and was as pale as the moon.

"Are you okay Finn!" Junko exclaimed, rushing over to him from across the room.

"It…I…I was…It was just…just a dream…just a dream…" Finn began, frantically looking around the room, and breathing heavily. He knew it was just a dream, and that he was safe, but the ghostly image of those eyes was still imprinted clearly in his mind, "I'm okay…I'm good…" He then stated, looking up to Junko.

"Well now that that's all cleared up," Stork grumbled from the bunk above him, "Can we please get some sleep!"

"…sorry guys," Finn then stated, as everyone rolled back over in their bunks. Finn as well laid back in bed, but didn't sleep for the remainder of the night, out of fear that once he would slip back into sleep, his night terror would resume.

_Maybe I should talk to Doctor C…_ Finn thought, still breathing quite heavily as he stared up at the bunk above him, and wiped away several cold beads of sweat from his forehead.

* * *

**[Message from Me :D]: **Hello world! Sorry it has taken so long for me to update! But I am back and going to try and stay on top of updating. Hope everyone had an awesome holiday and has a happy new year (I know I'm looking forward to the new year and I hope you all are too!) I don't resume classes for another two weeks, and now that I won't be going on any more menial vacations for holiday, I can work some more on RoT :P

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the update (bit of a scary one, but I think I told you guys a while back that these upcoming chapters would be pretty freaky/demented :P)

Anyway! Happy Tuesday everyone! Next chapter to come soon!


	59. Chapter 22: A Letter to Finn

Chapter XXII.

A Letter to Finn

"So I just thought that maybe…" Finn began, sometime the next morning, sitting down on a metal exam table opposite Doctor Constantine, "Since I'm having these bad dreams…and Matt says that I've got something called _chorea_-"

"Chorea isn't a disease," The Doctor interrupted flatly, "It's a symptom of a disease…"

"Uh…" Finn replied, scratching his head, "Okay…well since I've got a _symptom_, I figured I should talk to you about it."

"I can tell you now," The Doctor began, "That your dreams and your symptom are unrelated…to an extent."

"What do you mean?" Finn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Finn," The Doctor began, leaning against a counter in the small room, "What exactly do you know about your family?"

"Nothing much," Finn shrugged, feeling like the doctor was skirting around the subject of his current condition, "I never knew who my dad was and my mom was trying to become a sky knight…but she died in the assault on Cyclonia when I was just a kid, and even before that I never really knew her…"

"I knew your mother," Doctor Constantine began with a sigh as she looked down at the ground, "I knew her very well…well enough to know that she was trying to protect you. That's why she was becoming a sky knight."

"How did you know her?" Finn asked, completely forgetting about why he was there in the first place.

"Lets just say your mother and I were…close," the Doctor continued.

"But what does this have to do with what's going on with me?" Finn asked, trying to get back on to subject. The Doctor sighed as she took a clip board from the counter behind her and sat down on the table next to Finn.

"We need to talk," She stated solemnly, as a look of worry washed over his face, "Remember those tests I conducted a while ago…during the tournament?"

"Yeah," Finn nodded, "I wondered when you were going to get back to me on that." The Doctor let out a sigh as she flipped through several pages.

"I was looking for the right moment to tell you," The Doctor stated, looking forward as she handed the clip board to Finn, "These are the results…"

"I don't understand…" Finn began, looking over the papers.

"I know it's probably a lot to take in," The Doctor sighed, looking down at the floor, "But your mother-"

"No I mean…" Finn stated, turning the chart upside-down, sideways, and in every other angle, "I don't understand what's on the paper!"

"Hey," A voice called from behind them, gently tapping on the doorframe. The Doctor and Finn both looked up from the chart, just as she was about to break the news to Finn, to notice Sora standing in the doorway.

"What's up Sora?" Finn asked, leaping off of the table and placing the chart back in the Doctor's hands as she let out a frustrated sigh in an attempt to switch the attention back to her.

"Sorry," Sora began, scratching her head, "Am I interrupting something?"

"Not really," Finn shrugged.

"Well actually-" The Doctor began, just before being cut off again.

"Advent needs you," Sora began, ignoring the Doctor completely, and pointing to Finn, "She didn't say why, but she said she wants you down in the main hall now." Sora concluded, just before leaving the room. He followed after her, much to the Doctor's dismay, and tucked the first page of the chart within the robe of her uniform and followed after them as well.

The trio headed down the halls, until they reached the foyer of the former consulate building, and headed into the main hall. As per usual, all of the twilight knights, new recruits, and old resistance fighters were about the hall, making plans, gearing up their newly acquired rides, and taking care of their designated weaponry. However, the three pushed past all of the organized chaos and walked towards Advent, who was sitting on top of a weapon's rack, stroking the feathers of a falcon perched on her arm. Aerrow, Piper, Stork, and Junko were standing around her, all of them muttering and talking amongst themselves.

"What's up Advent?" Finn asked, walking up to the group. Their attention immediately switched to him, as Advent greeted him with a warm smile.

"Nothing much," Advent stated, holding out her free arm to Finn, "But there was a letter that arrived for you this morning." Finn looked up to her in confusion as he took the yellowish envelope from her.

"It arrived by falcon," Aerrow then added, as Finn moved to tear through the golden wax seal of the envelope, "I didn't even think people did that anymore."

"They don't really," Piper added with a shrug, "Maybe whoever sent the letter didn't want it to be intercepted by Cypress."

"Or they didn't have the technology to send it," The Doctor stated quietly to herself as she crossed her arms.

"Oh hello Doctor Constantine!" Advent chimed, looking up from the falcon to the Doctor, "I hardly noticed you!"

"What's it say Finn?" Junko inquired, looking over his shoulder.

"Geeze!" Finn snapped, still addled from the last letter he received, "Lemme open it first! Why are you guys making a big deal out of this anyway!"

"Normally I wouldn't," Advent stated, "But it seemed to me like someone went through very specific lengths to get this letter here…and it's addressed _specifically_ to you."

Finn let out a sigh and tore through the gold seal, unfolding the lengthy letter. All the others gathered around him to catch a glimpse of its contents. Finn grumbled as he turned away from them, giving them the cold shoulder.

"Aren't you going to tell us what it says?" Piper asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"No," Finn scoffed, "It's my friggin' letter!" He added, redirecting his eyes to the words on the page.

_Dear Master Constantine,_

_It is of little consequence for you to know why you are receiving this letter, and so abruptly in any instance. Please allow me to first introduce myself. I am Lady Divida, the current political monarch of the Holy terra of Heissigaurt, and fiancée to Sir Rotchford, lord of our subsidiary terras. You needn't worry about remembering our designated titles however, for I believe that once we make our formal introduction, they will bear ill meaning as compared to your's._

_You see, our beloved terra is in a state of peril. A civil uprising has reared it's ugly head just over the horizon and we require a proper figure head to diffuse the current situation at hand. I write this, and specifically to you, because that figure head is you. To our knowledge, that is, Sir Rotchford and myself, you are the last living heir to the throne. I understand that this must be a great deal to comprehend, especially given your current age, after all, you must be at least seventy. Regardless, it seems that as the days pass on, the political and militant turmoil continues to rise, and diffusing the relentless people of the terra has been futile on my part. It just seems that the people of our terra ere not quite prepared to have a female take a position of power._

_However, I digress. Your immediate arrival to Heissigaurt would be vastly appreciated. It has taken Sir Rotchford and I a great deal of effort in order to find you these fifty-some years, and we believed you to be wiped out with the rest of the Sky Knights during the Great Purge. We are quite relieved to have found your location in the City, Lumina, and we will await your response with baited breath. Although, should you respond with a letter of refusal, I must reiterate that you are the true heir to the throne. Declining to come to the aid of your terra, and your people, would also imply indifference, and that you are officially relinquishing the throne to myself._

_I imagine however that in your time on the outside of out blessed province has made you a bit simple. It would be the pleasure of myself and my future husband to properly educate you on manners and etiquette before officially stepping out as the new monarch of our terra. You needn't worry about your attire either. The royal clothiers of our terra will be happy to take care of your manner of dress as well._

_Your reply would be most appreciated and it would also be appreciated if you would reply as promptly as possible. The falcon that was sent will know its way back. All you need to do is compose your reply and place it within the satchel strapped to him._

_We look forward to seeing you as soon as you can possibly make it, if you should choose to make the trip at all. I understand that you will be flying to our terra, so along with this letter, you will find a map of where we might be located within the quadrant. I sincerely hope that it helps._

_Sincerely,_

_Lady Divida_

_P.S. Also, if you could come alone, this was something I neglected to mention earlier, it would be vastly appreciated. The people of our terra are very abject and fearful of change, not to mention anything that comes from the outside. Bringing additional outsiders into our holy land would just fall short of insulting to our people._

"I didn't understand half of that," Finn stated, once he concluded reading the letter, and handing the attached map to Piper.

"Well I did," Advent sighed, looking over to Doctor Constantine.

"This seems very suspicious," Aerrow stated, holding his hand out and suggesting that Finn hand him the letter. He obliged and placed the parchment in the hands of the red-head, "I don't like how this Lady Divida woman asked you to come alone either."

"What if it's a trap," Stork began, with a gulp, "What if it's an imperial terra and Cypress is just waiting for us there!"

"Oh trust me," Doctor Constantine began direly, walking in front of the group, "It's not…Heissigaurt is a technological wasteland. They're completely trapped in the _Terra Incognita _era…"

"The _what _era?" Junko asked, scratching his head and turning to the doctor.

"Terra Incognita," Piper stated, "Hundreds of years ago, before the Cyclonian war, and even before the rise of Sky Knights, terras believed that they were the only terras in existence, and nothing lied outside of their own terra. Not to mention they were all perfectly fine with this, and no one bothered to explore the rest of Atmos."

"It wasn't until about five-hundred years ago that the first Skimmer was invented on Terra Rex," Advent added, "And the Progressivist era began. Heissigaurt was the only terra to stay behind in the progressive era because they wanted as little involvement with the outside terras as possible."

"They also found a way to mask Heissigaurt from the rest of Atmos," Piper stated, "No one has been able to find it for _centuries_."

"But they were able to find us?" Aerrow inquired, looking down at the letter, with a degree of suspicion still in his voice, "Or…able to find Finn, that is. This all is a bit too…"

"Suspicious," Piper concluded with a smile as she nudged Aerrow in the arm with her elbow.

"I agree with Aerrow," The Doctor stated, "I think you shouldn't go. At least not alone. God knows what could _actually _happen to you alone on that terra."

"You seem to know quite a bit about Heissigaurt," Aerrow began, crossing his arms, and staring down the Doctor.

"Of course I do," She replied boldly, "I used to live there…" She then stated, before turning away from the group and walking off through the main hall.

"This has Doc C really upset," Junko stated with sad eyes as he looked down at the ground.

"And I think for good reason," Aerrow added, pointing to the letter, "It says it's addressed to _Finn Constantine_…I doubt it's a coincidence."

"Wait a minuet," Finn began, taking the letter and looking it over once again, "Woah…I didn't even notice that…but then…that would mean…"

"That you and the doctor are related," Piper concluded.

"I wonder…why she never told me," Finn began, looking down at the ground.

"I can think of several reasons," Advent stated flatly, "Regardless…I will write your response letter to Lady Divida for you…"

"What?" Finn asked as Advent leapt down off of the weapon's rack.

"You hardly know the proper vernacular for this sort of thing," Advent stated, casually insulting him as she walked by, "But then again it isn't your fault. Anyway, I suppose we should arrange for a transport ship-"

"He's going!" Aerrow exclaimed, following after Advent.

"Uh hey!" Finn shouted, commanding the attention back to himself, "don't I get a say in all of this? I mean…this is _about _me after all!"

"Finn," Advent smiled as the falcon (now sitting comfortably on her shoulder), screeched with affection, "Please…we need all of the assistance we can get. The people pf Heissigaurt may surprise us. They seem rather industrious to have survived this long, and perhaps without their need for technology, and advancement softening them up, they will prove to be the kind of soldiers we need. If you are the heir to the throne, you can sway them towards joining our cause." Advent added, "Although you won't be doing so alone…"

"He won't?" The group asked, turning to her.

"Of course not," Advent stated, rolling her eyes, "I'm going to tell Lady Divida, acting as you of course Finn, that I _will _be coming to Heissigaurt, but I _will not _be doing so alone. You'll bring a small party to accompany you Finn."

"Great!" Aerrow chimed, "Then we'll get set to leave immediately-"

"You aren't going," Advent stated, as she leaned over the tabletop map of Atmos, and began scrawling all over a piece of parchment.

"Come again," Aerrow demanded, walking up alongside her.

"You heard me," Advent stated, raising an eyebrow, "I _need _you here Aerrow. You'll be of little use to me all the way in the hinterlands of Atmos. After all," She continued in a more hushed tone, "Shouldn't my protégé be at my side should _he_ ever want to lead the Twilight Knights?"

"Fair enough," Aerrow sighed, yet giving her a slight smile. Advent smiled back at him, tussled his hair, and continued to write her letter.

"Finn will be accompanied by Stork," Advent stated, just so the rest of them could hear her.

"Why is it," Stork then began, turning to Finn, "That whenever _you're _involved…_I _get involved too?" Finn said nothing, he just shrugged and gave Stork a sheepish grin.

"And Junko," Advent continued, "My daughter Cyclonis, and the Doctor."

"I'm doing what now!" Cyclonis shouted from the opposite side of the room, looking up from her notes on the effects of recharging dead crystals with the help of the aurora stone (it wasn't going well, based on the scorch marks left on the table before her).

"Piper," Advent called, "I'm going to need your assistance as well." She called, gesturing the girl to come towards her, "I need you to decipher this map and set its coordinates to terra Heissigaurt."

"Wow," Piper began, looking over the old piece of parchment, "This thing is ancient…is this even accurate?"

"If anyone can figure it out," Aerrow stated, placing a hand on her shoulder, "It's you." He concluded as Piper blushed and gave him a smile.

"If you could get those coordinates as soon as possible," Advent interrupted, concluding her letter, folding it, and tucking it away in the falcon's satchel, "That would be excellent…Finn and his caravan leave tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Finn exclaimed nervously, "I-I mean…why tomorrow? There's no rush right?"

"Quite the contrary," Advent smiled as she walked over to one of the many windows within the main hall. She pushed open the glass, and just like that, the falcon took off into the darkened sky above Lumina City, "If Heissigaurt is in _such political turmoil_, as the letter states, you should be there to rectify the situation immediately!" Advent smiled. The others looked to her in confusion. Her tone was quite sarcastic, and her actions towards the situation seemed rather aloof and disconnected as compared to her usual reactions. It made them believe that she knew something that they did not, although seeing as how this was Advent, she often did know something that they did not, "Also, Finn…" Advent continued as the blonde youth turned to face her, "You might want to inform the Doctor…that is, that she's finally returning home."

* * *

**[Message from KC]: **You know what I just realized…11 pages, not ONE page break throughout the chapter! Go me! Regardless! I digress! Latest update for ya'll, and I promise that all of this crap does relate to the main plot of the story! I swear it does (remember when Meno and Cypress took the box?) Anyway! I hope you all enjoy. More chapters to come soon :P

Happy Wednesday everyone!


	60. Chapter 23: Holy Terra of Heissigaurt

Chapter XXIII.

The Holy Terra of Heissigaurt

"Are you nervous?" Cyclonis asked, as she, Stork, Junko, the Doctor, and Finn climbed into the transport ship that Advent had called for them. It was nearly one in the morning (because when Advent says you're leaving tomorrow…you _literally _leave tomorrow).

"I've inputted the coordinates to Heissigaurt," Piper called, heading down the hatch of the boxy transport, "all you have to do is hit the throttle and go Stork." Piper yawned with confidence as she walked past them.

"It's not that I'm nervous," Finn whispered as he and Cyclonis walked on to the opened hatch, "It's just…I'm supposed to _lead_ these people? Me? There's a reason I'm not a Sky Knight you know…it's because I'm a lousy leader…"

"I'm sure that's not true," Cyclonis reassured as she sat down on one of the cold metal benches within the transport ship, and seized hold of the leather strap hanging from the ceiling for support, "I think you're going to be just fine…besides, its' not like Advent's making you do this alone."

"I guess you're right," Finn stated, with a weak smile as he sat down beside her.

"I know I'm right," Cyclonis smiled, taking a hold of his free hand with hers.

"Hang on everyone," Stork grumbled irritably (probably for being woken up so abruptly) as he took hold of the steering of the ship, the Doctor sitting in the copilot's seat next to him, "I have a feeling it's going to be a rough ride…"

"Heissigaurt is quite a way from here," The Doctor stated, turning back to look at the three in the cargo portion of the transport, "We should be there in about eight hours or so."

"Eight hours!" Finn grumbled, throwing himself down against the metal bench, "Are you kidding me?"

"It's not that bad," Cyclonis shrugged, "And think it could be worse…at least it will give us an opportunity to get some much needed sleep."

"No thanks," Finn stated, sitting back up. Cyclonis turned to him and raised an eyebrow, "I mean…I'm not tired."

"According to…some of the men…" Cyclonis stated, skirting around the subject of who it was who actually told her, "You had a pretty bad dream the other night…and you haven't slept since…"

"It's just a few days without sleep," Finn shrugged, rolling his eyes, "I'm fine, I swear!"

"I don't believe you," Cyclonis sighed, shaking her head.

"It's none of your business!" Finn shouted, commanding the attention of everyone on board, intentionally or not, "So what if I don't want to sleep! Some people don't _need _to sleep ya know! Life's greatest problems were never solved by SLEEPING!" He shouted, as the others looked at him as though he was crazed.

"So…we're taking off now…" Stork began, breaking the awkward silence that followed as the engines of the transport hummed and the bulky ship lifted gently off of the ground.

"It's turning out to be a great trip," The Doctor whispered quietly, as she leaned back in the co-pilot's seat.

"Fine," Cyclonis then grumbled, looking away from Finn, "Don't for all I care."

Finn said nothing in response. He merely rolled his eyes and leaned back against the cold metal wall and listened to the wind whistle through the seals of the window as the transport flew through the air. He couldn't deny though that he was thoroughly exhausted. Ever since the first night terror, he had been using every single technique for preventing sleep that he could think of, and it was waning on him, physically, mentally, and emotionally. It didn't matter though, he couldn't resist much longer and found his eyelids growing heavier with each passing second. It wasn't long before his eyes shut completely, and his breathing became deeper, and he faded from the conscious world.

"Should we wake him up?" Junko asked quietly as he sat down next to Cyclonis, "He made it kinda clear that he didn't wanna fall sleep."

"Why?" Cyclonis scoffed, resting her elbow on the window and looking out at the endless sea of clouds and terra peaks that dared to emerge from it. They were almost like icebergs, with the majority of their make-up being hidden beneath the surface, "So he can make sure he doesn't miss the same _majestic _view for the next eight hours…Don't bother him…it'll just give him another thing to be pissed off about."

"Hmm…" Junko replied, looking down at the metal floor of the transport, "Uh hey…" He began nervously. Cyclonis looked up at him and waited for him to continue, but it looked like Junko was struggling to find the words, "Why…why are you coming with us anyway?"

"Beg pardon?" Cyclonis asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No!" Junko began nervously, holding up his hands , "That's uhm…not how I meant it…"

"Oh," Cyclonis replied, looking over to him. She didn't look mad, or offended, but then again, she was always a little hard to read, "What do you mean then?"

"I mean…the Doctor is going because she used to live there," Junko explained innocently, "Stork's only flying us, so he's not staying…and Finn and Advent asked me to come for protection-"

"It's kind of personal," Cyclonis then interrupted. She then looked up at the wallop and gave him a slight smile, "Sorry, didn't mean to be rude but…he asked me to come too…but for different reasons."

"Okay," Junko then nodded.

* * *

Finn awoke, what felt like several hours later. He attempted to rise to his feet, however, he felt his wrists being held down to the wooden chair he now found himself in. He panicked as he tried to break them free, but it was no use. From what he could tell, the shackles were made from some sort of iron or steel, but he couldn't be sure. He looked around the room, and was only met by blackness. He figured he was in another pitch black chamber, but after having regained his composure from just awakening, he noted he was blindfolded.

"Hello!" Finn shouted, "Is someone there! Anyone! Please Help!" He continued to shout. The sound of some sort of mechanical system or structure whirred loudly, rebounding off of the walls of the chamber he couldn't manage to see.

"Uugh…" Another voice groaned in the distance. Finn looked up, although it served no purpose.

"Hello!" Finn shouted to the voice in the near distance. However, it made no answer.

"I…I think…there must…have been something…" The voice continued, seemingly talking to no one, and ignoring Finn's calls. Or perhaps, it was that maybe Finn couldn't be heard, "Something…in the beer…"

"Oh please Sir Everett," Another voice chimed in. This voice was quite young, even child-like, vastly different from the gruff and aged-voice of the first, "Beer is a child's drink…not for strong lords like yourself!" The second voice giggled.

"What did you give me!" The first voice then screamed. _Screamed_, "My stomach! It feels like it's going to explode."

"Can't hold your absinthe Sir Everett?" The second voice asked, a bit more cynically, "Pity…I thought you would be different from the others…it knocked you right out…but then again…had you not been such a lightweight, this would have never played in my favor."

"Enough of your child's play!" The second voice continued to scream, "This isn't funny anymore Griffin-"

"That is not my name!" The young boy hissed, spitting venom, "That is the name those filthy royals gave me…"

"I'm not up for your games Griffin!" The voice screamed again as the sounds of chains rattling filled the air, "Get me out of this contraption!"

"Never…" The boy whispered in a dark voice, that Finn could swear that he almost heard in whispered directly in his ear.

"AAAAAAAH!" The man screamed, a scream that could freeze the blood of even the bravest men, "WHY! You…you bastard! You DEMON! What have you done! What have you done to my EYES! You've blinded me!"

"Haha!" The boy then laughed gleefully, "Bet you can't catch me now!"

"You little bastard!" The man's voice screamed again. It was at that moment when Finn recognized the voice of this man. It wasn't as though it was the voice of someone he knew well, like Ace or Aerrow, but he did know it. It was from where he knew it, was what unnerved him.

"I will find you…"

"I will _kill _you…"

It was the voice of the creature, the beast that chased him down in his first terror. But why would he be dreaming about the same person twice? And who was he? And the only reason that Finn asked himself these questions because it didn't feel like it was a dream anymore. It felt like a memory.

"Now…" The voice of the boy began, only a few feet away from Finn's person, "What am I to do with you?" He asked as Finn felt the blindfold loosen.

"AH!" Finn then shouted, abruptly awakening safely within the transport. Cyclonis and Junko looked at him with a touch of concern as his eyes darted about the transport. He was pale, sweating, breathing heavily, and he could feel his heart pounding out of his chest.

"Is everyone alright back there?" The Doctor asked, gently craning her neck around to check the cargo area.

"We're approaching the terra," Stork stated with a deep sigh. The sky outside was dark, although it wasn't too late in the day. Thunder boomed throughout the sky and the transport shook, throwing the passengers around the ship.

"What's going on out there!" Junko shouted as rain began pummeling the ship. The transport began shaking and bucking violently and the control panel began screeching as red lights of all kinds began to flash and blink.

"I don't know!" Stork shouted, gripping tightly to the helm, "But for now…we're going down!"

"Everyone hold on tight!" The Doctor shouted, clinging to whatever surface she could find. The sirens continued to blare as the ship shook violently and began spiraling down towards what at first appeared to be the mists just hovering above the wastelands.

"We're all going to die!" Junko shouted. But through the mist and the downpour, a thick tree appeared just within the transport's line of vision as it continued spiraling downward.

"Everybody MOVE!" stork shouted in a frenzy, rushing into the cargo hold of the transport, as the top of the tree plunged through the windshield and up through the cargo hold. The front of the transport then slammed down against the cold ground surrounding the tree. The weight of the ship dragged down on the old plant and slowly began uprooting it as the transport began to fall on its back.

"Is everyone alright?" The Doctor then called to everyone over the sound of the hissing engine, the pouring rain, and the wood of the uprooted tree cracking and falling down on the metal surface.

"Yeah…" Cyclonis grumbled as she and Junko pushed open the transport hatch and climbed out of the ruined ship.

"I think everyone is okay," Junko then added with an optimistic smile as he pulled everyone out of the opening and gently lowered them down on to the muddy ground.

"This is bad…" Stork began, as all five of them were standing alone in the middle of the thin grove of old and gnarled oak trees, getting absolutely drenched by the unrelenting deluge, "This…is so…BAD! The ship! Look at it! It's totaled! TOTALED!"

"It's going to be alright," Doctor Constantine smiled, placing her hand on Stork's shoulder, "We'll signal to Advent and tell her-"

"No can do…" Cyclonis sighed, holding out her copper communication device, "Even if we could get past Cypress' comm. block, communications are dead…all I'm getting is static."

"…Oh that's just perfect!" Stork shouted.

"C'mon…" Finn snapped, looking to Stork, "I just bet we're out signal range…maybe if we keep walking-"

"NO!" Stork protested, waving his arms and hands out in front of him, "Bad things always happen to people who go wandering in the woods…in the RAIN-"

"Wait…" The Doctor then whispered through the rain, "Wait…" Everyone stopped and turned to her as she stood motionless, looking around the darkness, "I know this place…"

"Where are we?" Cyclonis asked, pulling her wet hair out of her face.

"In Rotherhithe…" The Doctor began, heading through the grove as quickly as she could, "Or rather…just outside of it…"

"So…are we on the terra?" Junko asked with a smile, trying to maintain the optimism.

"Yes," The Doctor nodded, "What are the odds that we would crash on Heissigaurt…" She continued as the others followed after her, "It's only about a mile out of the way of Heissigaurt Central, where the palace is. Perhaps we could catch a stagecoach into the city from nearby in Rotherhithe…"

"Stagecoach?" Finn asked quietly as they walked through the rain.

"It's just past these trees," Doctor Constantine sighed, heading up a thick and muddy hill, coating her pale green and white uniform in filth. Although she didn't seem to care much. Stork let out a grumble of dismay as his foot landed promptly in a deep puddle as he reached the top of the hill. The group all looked over the muddy knoll and looked upon a large wooden gate, nearly thirty feet high, peering over which were several log and cobblestone buildings.

"Is this Rotherhithe?" Cyclonis asked, turning to the Doctor who began sliding down the soaked hill.

"Yes…" The Doctor stated with a nod. She began walking towards the wooden wall and placed her hand upon it's surface. She pulled away and began walking against the wall, through the watered down mud and bits of grass and thistle sticking through the ground, "I spent a lot of time here…before Robin moved away to the mainland terras…the apothecary here is only second to the one in central Heissigaurt. This is where I got my bearings as a Doctor."

"Why did you ever leave here Doctor Constantine?" Cyclonis asked.

"…I was never going to become a reputable Doctor being stuck on a terra that still believes in drilling holes in a patient's skull to _drain out the insanity_," Doctor Constantine snapped, "Not to mention bloodletting…" She added as they reached a large and opened drawbridge in the center of the wall.

"Hey," Finn began quietly as he seized the Doctor by her shoulder and pulled her away from the other three, "Can I talk to you for a second."

"Yes," She asked turning to face him.

"What do you know about this place?" Finn asked quietly, "Why did you take the picture from me in Lumina City?"

"I told you…your mother and I were very close," The Doctor stated, looking down at the ground, "I promised her you would never come to this place, but as it would seem, destiny has other plans for us. One day…I will tell you everything…everything about your mother and father, your lineage, and your birthright…perhaps sooner rather than later. But not today…I don't have the strength."

"One more question," Finn began, holding on to her arm just before she could walk away. The Doctor looked back at him, "The second letter, was addressed to me…but they called me _Master Constantine_…why do we have the same last name?"

"You're a very bright boy Finn," Doctor Constantine stated, looking straight through him, "Even of you or others don't think so…if you don't think to hard about it…you'll know why."

"Hey!" Junko shouted, as the two of them turned around. He, Cyclonis, and Stork were sitting in a somewhat rickety wagon, full of damp hay.

"Come on!" Cyclonis shouted, "This guy offered to give us a ride to Central."

"For how much?" The Doctor began, crossing her arms as she walked up to the horse drawn wagon.

"Oh I think ya can afford it," The large and greasy looking man at the head of the wagon smiled as he gripped the leather reins, "That is…if ya be a Constantine like yer friends say, ya royals got more gold than ye know what to do with!"

"Take us to the Palace of Marmorius in central," Doctor Constantine stated as she and Finn climbed into the cab, "And I will pay you whatever you like."

"Sounds like a deal yer majesty!" The greasy man laughed, as he snapped against the rain and the horse began pulling on the rickety cart.

"I can't tell you what you might encounter once we get there," The Doctor began after several long moments of silence, "But do me this favor and keep your mouths shut once we get there…this place is much different from…the rest of Atmos."

* * *

**[Message from KC]**: FANFICTION Y U NO LET ME UPLOAD EARLIER! Ha! I said I would have this chapter up this morning, but my internet was being dumb and wouldn't le me XD Anyway enjoy the update everybody. We're getting there...to that residual point. Anyway, there's also a really super important note, actually there are two. Play particularly close attention to Finn's second dream, and Cyclonis when she talks to Junko about her reasons for coming along. Anyway thanks for reading :D I hope to have the next update at some point. (Thanks DracoKrawl for reminding me to update btw XD)


	61. Chapter 24: Sir Rotchford & Lady Divida

"Master Cypress," Meno began, stepping on to the dark metal floor, her pristine black leather boots clicking against the ground with every step, "One of the stolen transporters activated its emergency signal beacon." She stated, standing within a large chamber full of monitors and radar systems. Cypress' dark and mutated lackeys sat behind several of them, observing any inconsistencies in her 'utopian' society, as so they could signal her sentries should anything go _awry_. Cypress herself stood on an elevated scaffold overlooking the operation, making sure that every pawn was in its proper place. She turned around to face Meno, but responded to her with a blank stare, just before turning back to her operation.

"And I should care?" Cypress asked, looking at the largest monitor hanging high above the others within the chamber. The image of Lumina City, namely, the street on which the former Atmosian Consulate building, was gently flickering as Cypress stared at it intently, waiting for any signs of action.

"One of those transports was stolen by the resistance!" Meno growled, "By the _Twilight Knights_. If the emergency beacon was activated on the transporter, it means they've crashed! That means we might be able to hunt them down."

"And did you even bother to take a look at their location?" Cypress asked, gently turning her head towards Meno.

"Yes…" Meno stated slowly, sounding a bit cautious, "Why?"

"According to our charts they've crashed in the middle of the wastelands," Cypress stated darkly, looking back towards the monitor, "But you and I both know what actually lies at those specific coordinates…"

"The Holy Terra," Meno stated with a slight sigh, "You think Advent was mad enough to send them?"

"Advent?" Cypress asked, raising an eyebrow as she turned around to face her, "No…I don't think Advent knows nearly as much about it as she thinks she does."

"Would you like me to go there master?" Meno asked, kneeling before her, "And retrieve any information I can?"

"No," Cypress stated, shaking her head, "Not alone anyway. Take whoever you wish along with you, but I hold no qualms against you should you choose to not travel there."

"If the Twilight Knights are interested in the terra," Meno stated, rising to her feet, "Then I believe we should be too. Let me take Noah along."

"As I stated before," Cypress sighed, "Take whoever you wish…"

"Thank you Master," Meno stated with a bow, "We will depart for Heissigaurt tonight." She concluded before turning away and heading back out of the chamber. The doors slammed shut behind Meno and Cypress continued to observe the monitor overlooking the Twilight Knights' refuge. She propped her elbows upon the railing of the scaffold and rested her chin upon her hands as she let out a long sigh.

_I just hope that you are prepared for whatever you might encounter Meno_, Cypress thought.

It was then when she saw something very interesting on the monitor. Three women in grayish cloaks strode out of the complex and headed down the street. In between the three of them, was a much, much smaller figure in a similar robe. The small figure was clinging to the first woman in the group, almost as though if they were to let her go, they might loose their life. Cypress then stood up straight and leaned over the railing in an attempt to get a better look at the figures. One of the busy street goers knocked into the smaller figure, and knocked back the hood of his cloak. Quickly, the woman holding his hand threw it back over his face and the group hurried along down the street.

"Quickly!" Cypress shouted, as the occupants of the room ceased what they were doing and turned their attention to Cypress, "Play back the footage on monitor one!" She commanded.

"As you wish Master," One of the mutated nightcrawlers wheezed as it carried out her commands. The images on the screen began to play backwards.

"Stop!" Cypress shouted. The image on the screen paused just and Cypress got a good look of what appeared to be her younger sister, pulling the hood back on a young boy with silvery white hair. Cypress' eyes grew wide and for a long time she just stood silently and stared at the image displayed with a blank expression.

"Is something wrong Master?" One of the wheezing nightcrawlers inquired after several long moments of silence.

"I'm just fine," Cypress stated as a dark and twisted smile then made its way across her face, "Anaxagoras!" She then shouted into the intercom system across the way, "Come to the observation deck! Now!"

"Something wrong master?" Anaxagoras called from the other side.

"No," Cypress stated, turning back to look at the monitor one more time, "You and I are just going to take a little trip…that's all."

"As you wish." Anaxagoras replied.

* * *

Chapter XXIV.

Sir Rotchford and Lady Divida

It didn't take the shipwrecked group of knights very long to reach central with the assistance of the peasant and his shoddy cart. They arrived at a large stone wall within the hour, towering several stories above the group, and appearing as though it reached into the grey skies above, almost melding together. The dirt road lead up to a towering wooden gate sitting in between the stone barriers. Two wooden guard posts stood on each side of the gate, looking down at the world below. Guards, dressed in chain mail, and adorning crimson and ebony tabards, looked down from each post.

"They really like high walls here," Junko stated, looking up the length of the stone wall, "Don't they?"

"I don't like high walls," Stork stated flatly, as they all climbed out of the cart. Doctor Constantine dropped the gold pieces into the peasant's hand and he nodded to her with gratitude, "They're like cages…"

"Thank you kindly strangers," The peasant called, just before turning his horse around to head back to Rotherhithe, "You'll be feedin' my family for a month!"

"Oh please then…" Cyclonis stated, reaching into the black leather pouch strapped to her leg, "By all means…we don't need it." She stated, handing a coin purse to the man.

"We're guests of the palace!" Junko stated innocently.

"Guests _at _the palace," Stork corrected.

"There's enough money here to feed the entire village!" The man gasped, looking up at the group of perfect strangers who had just presumably handed him a small fortune.

"Just keep it," The Doctor stated with a slight smile, "Spread the wealth, if you will. Gods only know that the people here could use it." She concluded as she dismissed him with a nod, turning away and heading towards the gate.

"Who goes there?" One of the guards commanded, looking down from the tower.

"I'm…uh…" Doctor Constantine began, scratching her head, stumbling on her words, "Well…we are here to."

"Our presence has been requested," Cyclonis stated, stepping before the group. She knew this drill and she knew it quite well, after all, she was a former empress, "A Lady Divida has requested an audience with us."

"Nonsense," The other guard scoffed, crossing his arms and looking down at the group, "If The Lady and her Sir were expecting anyone, we would know about it."

"I've got the letter from her…" Finn stated haughtily (mostly from just being overall irritated. He was wet, cold, battered and bruised, exhausted, and in general, just in no mood), "If you wanna come down here and see it?"

"…Fine…" The guard snapped, as the wooden gate croaked and groaned, opening fourth into the medieval city, "We shall grant you access to the city…but we've got our eye on you."

"Big brother's always watching here huh?" Stork asked sarcastically as they headed into the streets.

"You have no idea," The Doctor replied disdainfully, looking around at the seemingly pristine streets of the city. All of the inhabitance of Heissigaurt Central seemed to be well dressed, compared to the citizens of Rotherhithe. All of them wore brightly colored gowns, silken cloaks, and had shoes for that matter. It made the others begin to think, perhaps the walls weren't meant to keep things in. After all, the monarchy couldn't have filth parading around their perfect city.

They wandered aimlessly throughout the streets for what felt like hours. All of the buildings of the stone city seemed to look the same, and appeared to all become one. Every shop, tavern, inn, and home, varying in size, but all of the same makeup. They all had the same wooden doors, glass windows, banners hanging in the shop fronts or perhaps out of the window boxes. It was all too strange.

"I don't like this place," Cyclonis whispered, following close behind the Doctor, "It's creepy…and everything looks the same…"

"Says the empress of Cyclonia…" Finn grumbled under his breath. Cyclonis turned to him, looking hurt and offended all at the same time. Finn let out a sigh and then looked to the wet stone pathway below his feet, "I'm sorry…it was-"

"It's okay," She replied with a nod, "I understand…you'll feel better once we reach the palace and put this all behind us."

"I guess so," Finn replied quietly.

"There it is," The Doctor stated, gesturing to the large, grayish-white structure looming over the rest of the city. It was beautiful, almost like a cathedral, with high and pointed spires. The same red and black banners they noted around the city, although they were much bigger now and could be seen more clearly. Painted upon the crimson banner was the image of a dark Ouroboros, laying over two crossed arrows. They were sure this was somehow significant, but they didn't want to trouble the doctor with such menial questions at this point.

They made their way to the castle, finding a thick rod iron fence extending around the length of the entire castle grounds.

"They're really concerned about protection here aren't they?" Junko asked, confounded as his eyes scaled the iron wall.

"The guards actually let scum like you in the city!" A voice scoffed from behind them. The group turned to note a small girl, maybe no older than seven or eight. She was rather a small girl for her age, thin and lanky, and pale, with chestnut brown hair and clear blue eyes. She was wearing a pale pink silk gown, with a dark grey cloak handing on her small frame to protect her from the rain. She was sitting on the rod iron fence, looking down at them all with disdain.

"Watch you mouth kid," Finn snapped, taking a step towards the little girl. She laughed, and jumped down off of the fence and stepped towards him, her arms crossed and a smug smile on her face.

"You'll regret that!" She stated, "My big sister is pretty important around here…and I could have your head cut off for speaking to me in such a manner."

"Keep dreaming kid," Finn stated, waving at her in dismissal, "We've got better and more important things to do than talk to some delusional little girl-"

"What's your name!" She then demanded.

"What?" Finn asked, looking over her.

"You got some sorta hearing problem!" She snapped, stamping her foot, "I said, what's your name!"

"Finn," He replied, rolling his eyes, "Finn Constantine…apparently."

"Well I'm gonna make you sorry you ever came to Heissigaurt Finn!" She stated with a snotty and childlike demeanor as she turned away from them and ran into the streets.

"Uhm…" Junko began once she was out of earshot, "How did she know that we came here?"

"Probably because we're new faces," Cyclonis shrugged, not thinking much of it.

"Heissigaurt doesn't get much tourism," The Doctor stated, heading back towards the castle. They reached the front gate, which was protected by several armored guards.

"Halt!" They shouted, blocking any further entrance they should choose to make, "Have you any permission to request an audience with Lady Divida?"

"Request an Audience with her?" Finn asked, raising an eyebrow, trying to push past the guards, "Look…_she _asked to see _me_. Now if you could-"

"No one enters the palace grounds without permission from the lady!" The head of the guards shouted, pushing Finn backwards.

"That is quite enough!" A light, but firm and regal voice shouted from behind the group of guardsmen. They snapped to attention, as though stricken with fear, and parted before the gate as it fell open towards the castle grounds. From behind the opening of the gate, they found a young woman, of about twenty.

She was tall, with a glowing complexion, and golden blonde hair which went well with her watery blue eyes. Her lips were painted red and she adorned a spectacular crimson gown, embroidered in gold, with cream and ivory fur hanging at the cuffs. Gold jewelry laid effortlessly against her skin, and a small golden circlet sat promptly on her head. She was beautiful, but upon one look at her garb, and they all knew why the people of the outside towns were so poor and starving.

"You must be Finn," She began with a smug smile as she strode up to the group, "It truly is a pleasure to meet the final surviving heir to the throne of our great terra." She began, a bit of condescendence in her voice as she bowed before him.

"I wouldn't use _great_ to describe it," Finn stated flatly, not breaking eye contact with her. He didn't know why, be he was transfixed by her, and it made him rather uncomfortable, "But it's nice to meet you too Lady Divida…"

"And who might these all be?" She asked, gesturing to the rest of the group with some disdain. Finn turned around and looked at them all with a smile.

"They're my friends," He stated with an equally smug smile, "I don't like traveling without them."

"…I suppose we will do formal introductions later then," She stated, glaring back at the rest of them, making it clear she was opposed to their presence, "But look at you all! Your clothes are filthy, your trousers are six inches deep in mud, and you must be cold as death. Come inside." She stated, changing her demeanor to that or a more pleasant, "Regretfully we've only prepared for _one_ guest, but it shan't be long before the guest rooms are prepared."

"That's very kind of you Lady Divida," Cyclonis stated with a slight bow, trying to make up for the initial impertinence of Finn.

"Oh it's no trouble at all my dear," Lady Divida smiled, turning away from her as they headed into the palace itself.

The inside was just as, if not more, lavish than the outside. The floors were constructed of a bright white marble, and deep crimson and gold rugs stretched down the lengths of every corridor. Portraits of all members of the royal family hung on the walls, captured in time by gilded frames, and the same similar banners hung, printed on tapestries, hanging from the rafters high above them. There were ornate tables sitting out, solely for the purpose of holding just as ornate vases or urns and other various and expensive looking knick-knacks, or flower arrangements. All in all, the palace of Central was a spectacle to behold. Frivolous, but spectacular. And this was just the foyer. The group was sure they would be spending most of their time exploring the grounds or admiring the furnishings and the general splendor.

Just a bit beyond the foyer of the palace, was the grand staircase which lead into the rest of the castle. Two lengthy marble sets of stairs sloped up both sides of the large room, and up to one large door, possibly leading into a ballroom. At the top of this staircase, at the landing was a young man.

He was maybe twenty-five. But not too much older than the Lady. He was handsome, with a bright complexion, like hers. However unlike her, his hair was lengthy, wavy, and a deep dark brown, his eyes were a pale green, and he had a short and trimmed goatee. His clothes were a pale ivory color, and just as lavish as Lady Divida's. He descended the staircase, looking over the group as he did so.

"Might I introduce my fiancée," Lady Divida began, proudly, "Sir Rotchford." Cyclonis was the only one of the group to bow. Everyone watched him intently though. None of them could quite place it, but something about him was just off.

"Charmed," Sir Rotchford stated, with a slight smile, as his eyes scanned each person, "We don't get to many _beast _people here…" He began, directing the comment to Stork and Junko, "So forgive me…if I seem a bit…taken aback."

"Excuse me," Finn stated, raising his eyebrow at Sir Rotchford, "But that was _rude_! Don't you think?"

"I'm sorry?" Sir Rotchford scoffed, smiling and looking over Finn oddly, "But who are you?"

"I'm Finn…" He stated with irritation, "I'm the kid your girlfriend called for."

"Your highness," Sir Rotchford replied immediately, bowing before him, "Please forgive me for speaking out of t-"

"Already done," Finn interrupted, "Now…if you don't mind…we crashed in the forest, we're tired, we're hungry, and we're soaking wet…"

"Of course," Lady Divida stated with a smile, gesturing them to follow her, "I will have the servants fetch you some clean garments immediately. For now, the rest of you can stay in the open guest rooms…I'm so sorry…I didn't catch your names."

"This is Junko and Stork," Finn introduced, gesturing to the pair, "And this is-"

"Doctor Lenora," Doctor Constantine interrupted.

"And this is Cyclonis," Finn stated, turning to her as she gently smiled back at him, "She's…important to me." He concluded as she walked up beside him and took his hand.

"I see," The Lady smiled, looking to the couple curiously, "I too understand the mystery that is love," She added, turning to look at Sir Rotchford, who looked to her in response, "As I never leave the palace without him at my side."

"Please my lady," Sir Rotchford stated, staying strangely distant from his future wife, "You're making me blush."

"Well it's important to me that Cyclonis is with me," Finn stated, scratching the back of his head, "Which is why I'm asking if we could stay in the same room together."

"In the same room?" Lady Divida replied, looking dumbstruck, "That is…unheard of! I'm not sure what sort of courting customs you have on the outside terras but-"

"He didn't mean to ask," Cyclonis interrupted, shooting Finn a look, "It really wasn't our place to ask."

"Oh now my dear," Sir Rotchford stated, walking up beside his Lady, "I think we should oblige the young lover's request…remember how we wished to spend such time together when we were courting?"

"How you love to tease me so," Lady Divida smiled, turning to her man, "Alright…as you wish…after all, you are the last living heir."

"Thank you Lady Divida," Cyclonis began, with a smile on her face.

"Now," The Lady began, turning to the others, "If you'll all just follow me…I shall take you to your rooms, and leave you to settle in." She concluded as they followed her up the staircase and through one of the corridors off to the side that they didn't see upon straight forward glance of the foyer.

"Do you think anyone suspects?" Cyclonis whispered into Finn's ear as they headed down the hallway, trailing behind the group.

"I don't think anyone has the slightest clue," He replied as he smiled back at her. She laughed slightly, taking hold of his hand once again.

"They're a little curt," Cyclonis then stated, looking up towards Sir Rotchford and Lady Divida, "But I like them…what do you think…"

"So far?" Finn replied quietly, trying to keep their conversation private, "I could get used to them. They both just give me weird feelings…that's all."

"Weird feelings?" She asked.

"I can't really explain it," He replied, "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about though."

"I trust you," Cyclonis stated, "Besides, we should focus on getting settled in for now…right?"

"Right," Finn nodded.

* * *

**[Message from KC]:** I GOT AN IPHONE! Anyway...that's not important...or relevant to the story...I am just saying. Anyway so I was listening to young the giant while writing this chapter...that's not really relevant either...but you know :| thought you might be interested...

Anyway...SO! I'm deciding to post thought provoking questions in the messages from now on (you don't have to respond or answer them, this is kind of 'just for fun' for me ^^)

1. Why do you suppose Sir Rotchford is so distant from Lady Divida?

2. What might be the significance of the little boy found by Advent and Cresselia

3. What do you suppose Cyclonis was talking about when she asked Finn "Do you think anyone suspects?"

Anyway! As per usual, thanks for reading! Any comments, questions, or concerns just drop them off on the reviews page :3 Thanks for reading, hope to have the next chapter up soon!


	62. Chapter 25: Rebecca Divida

**[Message from KC]**: I'd like to say I am soooooooo sorry for such a long wait between chapters! I'm second lead in a play my college is doing and I've been rehearsing sun up to sundown -_- anyway! So I am trying to stay on top of updates. In other news there are 15 more chapters plus the epilogue until vol II is finally done :D Hurray! Anyway read and review (you guys always do!) Plus, spoiler alert, but the ending was kind of rushed, so I'm sorry the end of this chapter is not great :/

* * *

Chapter XXV.

Rebecca Divida

It was several hours later, and the knights found themselves settling into the palace and making themselves quite comfortable. After all, they had no idea how long they might be there, and it may be a while before they can communicate with the Twilight Knights in Lumina City. They figured they all might as well take advantage of Lady Divida's hospitality. All except for doctor Constantine. She was brisk, and tight on the edge ever since they crashed, and the more she saw of the terra, the more anxious she became. Finn had intended to ask her more about her connections to the terra, and their connection by name, but he figured it would be best to leave her be until she relaxed.

Finn was standing amidst a large suite somewhere within the castle. There was a large balcony with large blue windows towering high above the room, opening out into the terra with deep crimson drape. The rest of the room was garnished with ivory and gold trimmed furnishings. The ruby tapestries of the royal family hung against some of the bare limestone walls, and reflected the color of the pristine velvet carpet beneath his feet. There was a sizable chamber off to the side, inside of which was large brass wash basin.

He had changed out of his soaked and filthy clothing and placed on a pale white peasant style shirt, and black toile trousers. Once he was comfortable, he began to explore his own room (after all, it was large enough on its own). He jumped down on his bed and let out a long sigh of content, it was a welcome change as compared to the metal framed bunks of the resistance headquarters. However, upon thinking that, he began to feel guilty. Part of him felt as though he wouldn't be doing any good here, but the other side felt that this was where Advent wanted him to be.

He then let out another long sigh, as he looked up to the somewhat domed roof of the chamber. A knock on the large cherry wood doors followed shortly after. Finn rolled off of the bed and headed over. He pulled on the polished brass handles, and opened to face the young handmaiden, dressed accordingly to serve the royal family. The was something off about her though, but then again there was something off about everyone he had encountered here so far. However, the look on her face did take Finn aback for a moment, for she looked stunned, and somewhat offended.

"Hello?" Finn began, raising an eyebrow at her.

"My lord," The maid began, sounding slightly irritated, as she bowed, "The Lady and her Sir have requested your presence to dine with them in one hour."

"Oh okay," Finn replied with a slight smile, "I'll be there…" He stated as he began to close the door on her.

"My lord," She exclaimed before he shut her away.

"Yeah?" Finn asked, eyebrow still raised, as he parted the door open.

"Do you require any assistance in preparing your attire?" She asked, a bit nervously.

"…no," Finn replied, looking her over, "But thank you?" He concluded as she gave him a bow and turned away, heading back down the corridor. Finn kept his eyes fixed on her as she walked away, "That was weird…" He thought, closing his door and heading back into the room. He didn't do much of anything for the next hour, rather he rifled through the armoires, dressers, and wardrobes of the room. He laid back down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling again. His eyelids began to droop down, and he attempted fighting sleep, but to no avail.

"No…" A small female voice then quietly whispered, echoing throughout the room, "I won't do it…you need to leave him alone…I don't want to play with you anymore…GO AWAY!" It concluded, almost shouting.

"Who's there!" Finn shouted, bolting upright. He looked around his room and noticed that it had grown rather dark outside, even despite the dreary weather, "Oh no, how long have I been asleep?" He exclaimed, jumping down off of the bed and rushing towards the door. He flung them open and began to head down the hallway as quickly as he could.

As he hurried down the hall, he received several strange looks from the palace servants, directing him to the dining room. There was something unnervingly strange about them. They all had some sort of dark and lurking demeanor, and they almost seemed to skulk about the corridors. He had only been around for an hour or so, but the observation was almost immediate.

It wasn't before long till he found himself before the towering doors to the dining room. Finn moved past the two servants, waiting to open the doors for him. However, he gently moved past them as they reached for the handles, and he swung open one of the doors, and headed into the dining room without a proper introduction. Each of the servants gave him the most stunned look as he headed inside and everyone sitting at the long and dark wooden table gave him the same perplexed look.

"Oh…good evening Master Finn," Lady Divida began, sitting at the head of the table, and looking over Finn and his less than appropriate attire, "So good of you to show up…"

"Sorry," Finn began, scratching his head awkwardly as he looked over the others sitting at the table. Cyclonis, the Doctor, Junko, and Stork were all sitting across from one another all dressed in their own regal attire.

"Why don't you have a seat my lordship," Sir Rotchford stated, taking hold of his fiancée's hand as he gestured to the seat across from him. Finn quietly lowered his head and walked towards them, now realizing what the strange looks were about. He sat down in the chair next to Lady Divida, yet again, ignoring the servants as they attempted to bring his seat in for him.

"You shouldn't do that," Cyclonis whispered into Finn's ear as he turned to her and gave her an odd look, "Ignore the servants like that…they're just trying to do their job and it's considered an impertinence…"

"An impera-what?" Finn asked quietly.

"It's considered rude…" Cyclonis stated with a slight sigh, "And…so is what you're wearing…"

"How was I supposed to know?" Finn snapped in a hushed tone.

"Forgive us," Lady Divida then began, still obviously a little offended, "We all often forget that your home and its customs are quite different than ours."

"And given that you are not the only one late," Sir Rotchford stated, rolling his eyes as he looked off into the distance.

"Please," Lady Divida stated, with a nasty glance to him, "She's just a child."

"She is eight years old," He replied to her, giving her an equally nasty glance, "I won't stand for Rebecca's ignorant behavior any longer and neither should you."

"Stop talking about me behind my back," a snotty voice snapped from the other side of the room. They all turned to notice the same young girl that accosted them outside of the palace earlier that day. She was even dressed in the same pink gown as before.

"You're the brat from before!" Finn shouted, turning to the young girl, who gave him a stunned look.

"You!" She exclaimed, "What are you doing here!"

"Please allow me to introduce my younger sister," Lady Divida sighed, gripping her temples, "Rebecca Divida."

"Why are these cretins allowed in _our_ castle!" The little girl shouted angrily, waving her finger at the outsiders.

"Hold your tongue," Sir Rotchford snapped, gesturing to Finn "This _outsider _is the last living heir to the throne! Please show him the respect he deserves!"

"No!" Rebecca snapped, stamping her feet, "Never! I will never bow down to a filthy outsider!" She shouted, rushing out of the dining room. Lady Divida rose to her feet, and moved from the table, only to be stopped by her fiancée, seizing her by the wrist.

"Cute kid…" Stork began, looking down at his foot disdainfully.

"I understand that Rebecca's _charming_ attitude can be rather abrasive," Sir Rotchford stated as Lady Divida sat back down in her seat, "But Don't mind her…she is just a child after all."

"She seemed pretty upset," Junko stated, looking back at the doorway, "Is she going to be okay?"

"Perhaps someone should check on her," The Doctor stated, rising up from her seat.

"Oh please doctor," Lady Divida sighed, "Don't trouble yourself. Regretfully, my fiancée is right. Rebecca is just a child, and she's acting out accordingly given the situation. She will be fine, and I am sure she will warm up to you all. She just needs some space…that is all."

"I'm sorry," Cyclonis began, turning to look at the Lady, "But she's acting accordingly to _what _situation?"

"Well," Lady Divida stated, with a slight sigh, in the simplest way she could, "Now that Finn has arrived, it won't be long before his coronation."

"Meaning you won't be reigning anymore," The Doctor stated curiously, raising an eyebrow at the young woman, "But tell me…why is it that you're not more upset?"

"I asked Finn to come here," Lady Divida stated with a falsely sweet smile, "Knowing that he was in fact alive, and being the true heir…I could not live with myself knowing that there was a Constantine child still living."

"…how did you know he was still alive?" Stork then asked, giving Lady Divida a rather dark look as everyone (Sir Rotchford included) turned to look at her curiously.

"…Well I think it appropriate to retire to our chambers," Lady Divida stated, with a slight smile and a 'deer in the headlights' gaze as she rose to her feet and strode out of the room, Sir Rotchford in tow.

"Is it just me," Junko began, scratching his head, "Or are things around here a little weird?"

"Ya think?" Stork asked sarcastically, shaking his head slightly.

"Perhaps someone should talk to this Rebecca girl," Cyclonis suggested, as everyone rose from the table, "Maybe she can shed some light on things."

"It doesn't seem like she likes us very much," Stork stated, picking at the dirt under his fingernails, "That is…she doesn't seem to like Finn very much."

"Hey!" Finn snapped, "That's not fair! She started it!"

"Regardless," The Doctor snapped, trying to calm the waters, "Perhaps I can talk to her. She might relate to me better…after all, I know this terra better than anyone else here."

"Alright," Cyclonis stated, "If everyone is okay then, I'm going to get some rest…"

"Yeah I'll come with you," Finn stated, following after her.

"Is it just me," Junko then stated, watching as the pair exited the dining room, "Or is something going on with them?"

"Seriously?" Stork asked, turning to Junko, "You mean you _really _didn't know…"

"Know what?" Junko replied innocently and with a smile.

"…I have no words…" Stork replied, shaking his head.

"Hush," The Doctor stated, taking hold of Stork's arm, "Come on then…we'd best be heading off now too. We'll discuss this more in the morning." She concluded as they all left the room.

* * *

It was very early in the morning, about two o'clock, and Finn and Cyclonis were soundly asleep within Finn's designated bedchamber. He was relieved that for the first time in a while, he wasn't experiencing any nightmares. That is, other than the strange speaking he had heard earlier that night during his nap. However, he didn't think much of that. And all had remained rather peaceful, until the sound of faint footsteps resonating throughout the room. Finn was always a light sleeper, given his jumpy demeanor, so he awoke almost immediately.

He didn't move however, instead he laid where he was, keeping his eyes cracked just enough so he could see his intruder. It was Rebecca. She was dressed in a white nightgown, and she was slowly walking towards the bed. She stopped only a few feet away, and she seemed to be staring off in the distance, but just beside where Finn happened to be laying.

"What is it?" She asked very quietly, staring off into the distance. It was almost as though she was talking to someone, "What do you want now?" She demanded in a bit harsher tone. Finn attempted to adjust his eyes, to see who or what she was talking to. He saw nothing, even with his eyes just barely opened.

"Uh-huh…" She then replied, to whatever she was talking to, "Uh…huh…but why? I already helped you…why don't you just go away?" She stated, looking more and more upset with each passing second, "Because…I told you…I don't want to play with you any more!"

"Rebecca," Finn began, fully opening his eyes and looking up at her. She looked terrified, but only for a slight second, "What are you doing in here? Who are you talking to?"

"Nobody," Rebecca replied, still sounding a little shaken.

"But I just heard you-" Finn began, getting a proper look at what she was talking to.

"I wasn't talking to anybody!" Rebecca shouted, startling Cyclonis and waking her as well. Rebecca then turned away from them and stormed out of a room. Cyclonis looked over at Finn with a confused expression.

"What was that all about?" Cyclonis asked, looking over to Finn, and then to the doorway, "Why was Rebecca in here at this hour?" She continued, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm not sure," Finn stated, laying his head back down on the pillow, "But I'm not going to worry about it now…we'll focus on it tomorrow."

"Whatever you say," Cyclonis yawned, laying back down beside him and gently drifting off to sleep. Finn laid on his back, staring up at the red canopy above the four poster bed. His eyes began to gently shut and he faded into a deep sleep.

* * *

Finn awoke, what felt like hours, later. He was blindfolded yet again, and heard the distant sounds of humming and metal scraping against metal in the distance. It was cold and the air that hung around him was thick and humid. He could feel thick beads of sweat rolling down his face and neck, and his breathing became heavier based on the thickness of the atmosphere. His heart began to pound, and he wasn't sure why. By this point, he was sure he was dreaming, however something about it seemed so real.

"This…" A cool and dark voice began, almost in Finn's ear. He sounded young, perhaps no older than Finn himself, in his early twenties, however this mysterious and unseen young man's demeanor was so unnerving, even though he couldn't be seen, "This is our time brother…"

"Who are you!" Finn shouted, his voice quivering, but only slightly, "Take this thing off of me!" He demanded, just after attempting to remove the blindfold from his face, but only to find he was being restrained, and tied down by his wrists and ankles.

"I've been waiting for you Finn…I've been expecting you," The voice replied coldly, "We…have been expecting you."

"_We_!" Finn exclaimed, looking around wildly, "Who's _we_! Who are you! What's going on and where am I!"

"Oh…I thought that was obvious," The voice whispered, as Finn could feel cold breath on his neck, "But if you haven't figured it out by now…we have time…brother…we will wait…the world has waited…our world has waited, for over seventy years now."

"Wait!" Finn shouted in confusion, "Brother! I don't have a brother! I don't have any family!"

"Oh but you do," The voice stated coldly, "And I have news for you Finn…Mother, she's expecting again…but we need you. And we're coming…for you."

"AAH!" Finn shouted, bolting upright from his bed. It was early in the morning, as a gentle grayish light was creeping in through the crimson curtains, and into the room. Finn looked around, and nothing seemed to change about the room, all except Cyclonis. She was missing from the room, but Finn merely figured she had left. He composed himself and wiped away the sweat from his forehead.

He then climbed out of bed, still not bothering to make himself look presentable for the royals that paraded about the palace grounds. For whatever reason, he began thinking about his strange altercation with Rebecca rather than his dream. He felt as though she might have known something that he didn't. He left his bedchamber and began heading down the corridors.

"Finn!" Came the voice of the Doctor not too far behind. He spun around and smiled at her, half heartedly as he continued down the hall, "Finn! Wait where are you off too!" She called, heading after him.

"No time to chat Doc," Finn stated, "I'm looking for that Rebecca brat."

"Rebecca Divida?" The Doctor asked as she hurried alongside him, "Why ever are you looking for her?"

"Something weird happened last night," Finn stated, looking to the Doctor, "She came into my room…and she was kind of yelling at someone…but there was no one there. But the weird part was that she kind of freaked out and ran away when I asked her who she was talking to."

"Perhaps it was some sort of imaginary friend?" The Doctor began, "It's not too uncommon for children to create their companions."

"But in the middle of the night?" Finn asked, looking over to the Doctor, "Everything about this place just seems off-"

"Tell me about it," Doctor Constantine sighed, looking her eyes.

"And I'm going to find out what's up with this place," Finn stated, turning away from her.

"Finn let me tell you!" The Doctor called, just before he stormed out of the corridor, "It would be for the best that you put this place behind you…grant Lady Divida her right to reign and let us return to Lumina City with the rest of the Twilight Knights-"

"No!" Finn shouted, turning back to her, "Everyone thinks that I'm a joke and that I can't handle a mission on my own! This royalty thing…I'm going to see it through…and I _am _going to find out what is going on with this place! Even if it kills me."

"Finn," Doctor Constantine shouted back at him, just before he was out of earshot, "There is more to this place than the myth would have you believe…"

Finn ignored her, dismissing her comment and continuing through the palace. After exploring the grounds for what felt like a few hours, he found himself in the castle courtyard. However, it was apparently where he needed to be. He noted Rebecca sitting on the lip of the large marble fountain in the center of the courtyard. Finn walked directly over to her, not thinking about the consequences.

"What do you want?" She asked darkly, looking up at him from the porcelain doll in her hands.

"What were you doing in my room last night?" Finn asked, looking down at her.

"It's none of your business," Rebecca stated haughtily, not making eye contact.

"Yes…" Finn snapped, "Yes it is!"

"No it's really not!" Rebecca replied, sounding a bit frightened, "Just because you're supposed to be king doesn't mean I have to listen to you!"

"How do you even know about that?" Finn asked, kneeling down to her level to look her in the eye.

"Who do you think told my sister to write that letter," Rebecca replied, glaring at Finn, "I did!"

"Why?" Finn asked, "Why did _you _want me to come here…and how did you even know I…existed?

"Griffin told me to write it…" Rebecca replied, looking down at the doll in her hands, her eyes sad.

"Was…was Griffin the one you were talking to last night?" Finn asked, changing his tone with her, as he sat down on the lip of the fountain beside her.

"…yes…" Rebecca replied quietly.

"Is he…your friend?" Finn asked, more curiously.

"He was," Rebecca sighed, looking lost or perhaps heartbroken, "But he started being really mean…"

"Is Griffin young like you…" Finn asked.

"No," Rebecca stated, "He's old…like you…" She stated, rising to her feet and heading away from Finn.

"Maybe Doc C is right…" Finn told himself quietly, letting out a long sigh.


	63. Chapter 26: Royal Life

Chapter XXVI.

Royal Life

Later that afternoon, Lady Divida had taken Finn, and the Doctor into the city surrounding the palace. They were sitting comfortably in one of the Lady's lavish carriages, pulled by two regal white Pegasi. Finn was dressed in more status-appropriate garb (as uncomfortable as it was) and his gaze was transfixed on the images passing by him through the window to his left. He watched the people of Central go about their lives. However, none of the inhabitants looked particularly happy, not even the children playing throughout the street. It was almost as though the gloomy weather was effected by the emotional state of the people.

"I heard about my sister and her behavior towards you my lord," Lady Divida began, commanding Finn's attention. He looked up at her and gave her a slight smile.

"It's cool," Finn laughed slightly, "Kids will be kids…ya know?"

"Do I know what?" Lady Divida asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Oh please forgive Finn," Doctor Constantine stated with a smile, "He forgets that we have very different colloquialisms on the outside then _you _do here."

"Ah yes well…" Lady Divida began, giving the Doctor a sharp look as though she had been insulted, "I forget sometimes myself. Regardless, I hope my sister hasn't offended you my lord."

"Not really," Finn replied, looking back out of the window, "You might wanna talk to her about keeping _Griffin _out of my room at night though." Finn laughed, thinking nothing of it. Although, as soon as the name Griffin left his mouth, a very strange look washed over the Doctor's face, "What's up, Doc?" He asked, turning to her.

"What did you say?" The Doctor asked, looking to Finn.

"Rebecca's got some kinda imaginary friend," Finn shrugged, "Says his name is Griffin." He concluded, looking back out of the window.

"Well that's very odd," Lady Divida thought, looking a bit puzzled, "I've never known Rebecca to act that way before. She's not very imaginative you know…how strange…"

"It's common for children," The Doctor stated, nervously, "To invent their own suitable companions…someone who will always do as they wish-"

"It didn't seem that way," Finn stated, continuing to look out of the window, "She seemed scared of him…like he was a real person. Was yelling at the guy in my room last night, telling him she didn't want to play with him anymore…and that she wanted him to go away…I don't think she would make that up."

"Did she say anything else about this _Griffin_," Doctor Constantine asked.

"Yes," Lady Divida asked, leaning into Finn, curious about her sister's behavior, "Did she say anything else?"

"Just that he's old…like me…" Finn stated, not thinking much of it, "That's what she told me anyway."

"Well that's very strange," The Doctor stated quietly, sitting upright in her seat, "Children usually create friends their own age…they relate to them better…the fact that this companion is in his twenties…that's troubling…"

"You aren't setting my nerves at ease," Lady Divida stated, wringing her hands, "Rebecca has always been, dare I say it, strange. Throughout her entire childhood. You know…had it not been for her…I would have never known you were alive my Lord…and I would have never written that letter. But how she knew where to find you…only God can say."

"She told me that Griffin told her to write it," Finn stated, as he leaned in towards the two women.

"Perhaps your sister is a talented scryer…" Doctor Constantine stated, "Is practicing magic still illegal?"

"Highly," Lady Divida stated severely, looking to them.

"Perhaps she just wants someone to blame in the even she's caught," The Doctor added, leaning back, and setting herself at ease, "I wouldn't think much more of this."

"Doesn't make it any less weird," Finn stated, looking back out of the window, "Where are we going anyway?"

"The Council Hall," Lady Divida stated, "It's the only place I won't let Sir Rotchford accompany me to."

"Why's that?" Finn inquired.

"Well," Lady Divida sighed, looking down at her hands resting gently in her lap, "The Council doesn't approve of our…_courtship_…Sir Rotchford and I that is…"

"Why wouldn't they?" Finn asked. Doctor Constantine shot him a foreboding look as Finn bit his lip and leaned back. Obviously, the Doctor knew why, but it wasn't her place to reveal whatever dirty secret that the Lady was hiding.

"It's rather complicated," The Lady stated with a slight but weak smile, as she leaned back in her seat, "No matter. We aren't coming to the Hall to discuss me and my affairs…we have to convince the council that you belong here."

Finn turned to Doctor Constantine with a confused look on his face. She shrugged and turned to look out of the window, watching the streets of Central pass by her as she let out a slight sigh. It had been over twenty years since she had been home, and truthfully, she had thought she would never return. As for Finn, this was the first time he had been home ever. Lumina City, and the Condor (wherever it may be) have been the only homes he has ever known.

"There it is," Lady Divida stated, directing their attention to what looked like an ornate limestone cathedral. Finn looked puzzled for a moment as they came closer and closer to the structure, "The Council hall."

"It looks like a church," Finn stated flatly, looking out of the window as the carriage pulled up to the structure. The two women and the future king stepped out of the carriage as the city guards stood at attention, saluting the trio as they headed up the immense stairs to the domineering cathedral.

"It is," Lady Divida stated as they headed to the large oak and iron doors of the structure. Two guards pulled the doors open as they made their way into the foyer of the old structure, "This is the royal chapel during the holy days, and supplements as the Council building otherwise."

"Oh," Finn nodded, not entirely paying attention to what she way saying. As they headed into the sanctuary of the cathedral, he began noticing the _unique _décor. The stained glass windows of the church were mostly a deep crimson red, with grizzly images of the ouroboros and humans being slain and being thrown into the fiery depths of the wastelands. It made him entirely too uncomfortable. The inner cathedral was dark as well. Torches and lanterns illuminated the space, but it looked all too eerie.

"Good day Lady Divida," a group of rather unfriendly looking old men stated, staring the trio down. They reminded Finn a lot of the Sky Knight council, only with different faces. They were also wearing black and red silk robes, again with the ouroboros woven into the fabric.

"Good day to you High Councilman Dane." Lady Divida stated as the rest of the council bowed before the group.

"I am to presume that you are Finn," High Councilman Dane stated, nodding towards Finn just before giving him a bow, "Last of the Constantine family…I am surprised, I thought you to be dead…or at least my age…" He stated with a slight albeit sarcastic laugh, "I am to understand," He began, "You have been alive for twenty-five thousand, nine-hundred and fifteen days wandering about the rest of Atmos…and you don't look a day over twenty, my you are a remarkable young man Lord Constantine-"

"You needn't insult him," Lady Divida snapped, turning to the High Councilman. He was a tall and broad man, and seemed rather sturdy for a man in his mid-eighties. He had a strong face and long white hair, with pale shallow skin and dark eyes. Finn didn't like him, and other than being an ass, he wasn't sure why.

"Well," Councilman Dane stated with a smirk, "Let us begin shall we." He stated, gesturing the rest of the elderly councilmen to sit in the pews, along with Lady Divida and the Doctor. He commanded Finn to stand up in front of the alter before them. Finn took a gulp as he walked up behind the podium and faced them.

"Hello…" Finn stated nervously as the Council stared him down with disapproving looks.

"Lady Divida has told me that she wishes to relinquish the throne to you," Dane stated, standing up in front of the others seated, "The Council and I don't believe that. We have held certain presuppositions about you. First…that you are a fraud. Finn Constantine has to be over seventy by now, _you _are an impossibility. Second, in this, you want something you do not deserve. Three, you pervert a sacred memory to our people. But I could be wrong. I digress…" He continued, looking up towards Finn with a fake smile, "You are uncouth, you are impertinent and ignorant of our culture, and you have no sense of our politics-"

"I think that has to-" Finn began before being cut off.

"That wasn't a question," Dane stated, giving Finn a sharp look, "I do not believe you will ever be competent enough to rule this terra…but as Lady Divida currently reigns, her word is law…but only if we concur…" He added, looking to the Lady from the corner of his eye.

"I'd…" Finn then began, looking down at the altar, "I'd like to prove to you that…I could, one day."

"We will allow you three months," High Councilman Dane stated, directing his attention to Lady Divida and the Doctor. He gave Doctor Constantine a strange look, and she turned her face away from him. Her heart stopped for a moment, fearful that he recognized her, "You will meet with the Council in that time, and if you can not prove to us that you are monarch material…the Lady will continue to reign."

"Three months is hardly time to-" Lady Divida stated in outrage as she rose to her feet.

"Three months!" High Councilman Dane snapped, turning to her. He took several steps towards her and was dangerously close to the young woman's face, "No more…no less…" He stated quietly as so only she could hear, "You forget that in your condition, my _Lady_, you're more suited for a brothel than a ballroom…if it weren't for our _arrangement_, you'd be in the _streets_. I am in charge…my word is law here in central…I thought you would have remembered that when I ordered you to execute your little pet…"

"Fine," Lady Divida stated, turning her face away from him as he smiled, walking back towards Finn.

"Three months," Dane stated, looking back to Finn. The council rose from the pews and filed out of the sanctuary, leaving Finn, the Doctor, and Lady Divida alone.

"I can't do this in three months," Finn stated, looking pale and sickly as he rushed down from the alter and headed towards the two women, "I thought…I'd have more time-"

"Finn," Doctor Constantine stated, gently placing her hands on Finn's face, "Do not fret…we can help you and I guarantee that you will be able to accomplish this in three months."

"I agree," Lady Divida nodded, "Everyone at the palace is capable to teaching you everything you need to know in the allotted time."

"I hope you guys are right," Finn nodded, knowing they had more faith in him, than he did in himself.

* * *

Meanwhile, deep below the cathedral, the council convened in a dank and dark chamber. They sat around a dark wooden table, all of them staring up at High Councilman Dane. He wasn't seated, but rather, he was pacing the stone floor.

"Do you think he is the one?" One of the hooded councilmen asked.

"I have no doubt," High Councilman Dane stated, "But how he has remained so young for so long…it eludes me."

"I see," Another councilman stated, "But if he isn't the one…how with this bode for our endeavors?"

"We can only succeed if he is the rightful heir," Dane stated, looking into a dark and barred cell, staring intently into the blackness, "If not…everything we have worked for…the fate of this terra and our great kingdom, will fall to ruin."

"What if he fails to succeed in the time allotted?" Another member asked.

"Lady Divida will do everything in her power to make sure Finn succeeds," Dane stated, walking back towards the table, "After all, if he doesn't, she will no longer be able to rule."

"How can we be sure she won't have a change of heart?" One asked, standing up to face him, "Without her assistance we will surely fail! How can you assure us she'll continue this charade?"

"Because she is with child," High councilman Dane stated with a dark smile, "And without my assistance, she would be ostracized…cast out into the streets and stripped of her title like a common whore. She needs us…and for now we need her. To cultivate, educate, and prepare Lord Constantine, that is, for what we have planned."

"And what about Sir Rotchford?" Another councilman added darkly. The rest of the council began to murmur and whisper quietly to themselves. Dane's expression darkened as well as he turned to the council.

"He needs us as well…" Dane stated, "Unlike his fiancée, Sir Rotchford could be beheaded for his _condition_…he needs Lady Divida, she needs us…and as long as his life lies in her hands, his life lies in ours as well."

"Does his being close to Finn concern you?" One inquired, leaning on the table.

"Yes," Dane stated immediately, "His deranged fixation with the royal family is concerning…not to mention his _orientation_…I am sure that Finn's companions will protect him if need be. For now…we will wait for three months…"

* * *

"This isn't going to be easy for you Finn," Cyclonis stated, as the group sat around the long dining room table. Lady Divida and Sir Rotchford sat at the head, exchanging looks while Rebecca sat far away from them, looking down at her food disdainfully.

"All this stuff sounds kind of hard," Junko stated, scratching his head.

"Are you sure you're up to the challenge?" Stork asked, turning to Finn. Finn shot Stork a dirty look, thinking he was being sarcastic, but his demeanor changed when he noted Stork was completely serious.

"I don't know," Finn stated, looking down at his lap, "It's a lot to think about."

"Adapting to Royal life isn't so hard," Cyclonis then stated, trying lighten the mood, "I'm sure with my assistance, with the help of Lady Divida and the Doctor, you'll be ready to face the council again in three months time."

"Yes," Sir Rotchford stated, leaning over the table, "And, refresh my memory…how do you know so much about proper etiquette Doctor." He inquired, as she looked up at him with a frightened look.

"I…I am open minded…" The Doctor stated turning back to her dinner with a completely vague answer.

"Hmm…" He thought, turning away from the doctor, but casually glancing over at Finn every so often. Cyclonis took notice of this, although he didn't pay too much attention to her. It bothered her, but she wasn't sure why.

They dispersed once the dinner was over, but no one was in a particular mood to sleep. Finn headed down one of the large open corridors, heading to the hall that lead towards the palace gardens. The servants opened the doors and he made his way out on to the grounds. It was dark out, and he was sure that if they sky hadn't been so cloudy constantly, he would be able to see the stars in the clearest light in Atmos.

He then noticed someone sitting on the lip of the fountain, and he ducked behind a nearby topiary, as not to be seen. It was Rebecca, dressed in a dark green gown, and plucking at the petals of a flower. It appeared as though she was talking to someone, so admittedly, Finn was trying to eavesdrop.

"You never pay attention to me anymore…" Rebecca stated, crossing her arms, "It's like you're so busy…you never have time for me."

_Sounds like she's having relationship issues…_Finn thought, _Kinda weird for a little kid…_

"I know you have a lot on your mind…" Rebecca stated after some silence, "But Griffin…I thought that…I thought that you'd always be there for me…"

_I thought that she said she never wanted speak to Griffin again,_ Finn thought, _What is going on with this girl!_

"I did what you asked," She cried, leaning over to him, "And you changed…you're cruel and all you ever think about it Finn…"

_Me!_ Finn thought, _What could her weird imaginary friend want with me?_

"I though you lo-" She began, before seemingly being cut off, "What? What do you mean someone is here?" She asked, looking around the garden. Finn tensed his body and hid, closer to the topiary, but rather than looking for him, Rebecca ran out of the gardens, more upset than she was just a moment ago. Finn let out a sigh of relief once she was gone, as he walked up to the fountain and sat on the ledge, near where Rebecca sat.

"This place gets weirder and weirder with every day," Finn whispered, listening to the sound of the water, "What does Advent see in this place? Why does she care so much about me being here?"

"Hello," Someone called behind Finn. He jumped and turned around to face his addressor. It was Sir Rotchford. Finn let out a sigh of relief as he sat down next to the young man, "You seem unsettled Finn."

"Yeah," Finn stated, not noticing that he forgot to address Finn properly, "Just…have a lot on my mind. I'm not used to this place…and…"

"And what?" Sir Rotchford asked, moving closer towards Finn.

"There's a war being fought," Finn stated, looking over to him, "I mean…outside this place…and I feel…I dunno, selfish for not being there, not fighting beside my friends."

"You mean in Atmos proper?" Sir Rotchford inquired, "I had no idea…"

"It's been going on for years now," Finn stated, turning to him. He just noticed now, but Sir Rotchford was uncomfortably close to him, and Finn scooted back just a little, "…Anyway…I just feel like I'm wasting my time here…"

"I don't think you are," Sir Rotchford stated, moving closer towards Finn again, "I think you could do some great good for this place. And I think you were brought here for a reason."

"Well," Finn stated, rising to his feet, but mostly because he was just a little uncomfortable in that moment, "Thanks for the chat but…I think I need to sleep on this."

* * *

Finn found himself in the same cathedral he had been in several hours prior. Something was even more off about the cathedral this time than his first visit. Come to think of it, he wasn't entirely sure he had gotten there in the first place. He looked around the sanctuary, noting that it was extremely dark in the entire cathedral. The only light was coming from the glow of the lanterns and the candles scattered throughout the structure.

Without thinking about it, he walked up to the first pew, and sat. He wasn't sure what he was doing, or why he was looking up at the strange statues at the alter. He closed his eyes and leaned his head down. He took a deep breath and heard someone walk up behind him, but he didn't move and he didn't open his eyes.

"Magnificent isn't it," Finn heard the same voice from his last dream state, his cold voice echoing through the cathedral, "The alter is perfect…and our time is coming."

"I don't know who you are or what you want," Finn stated letting out a long sigh, "But leave me alone…"

"I can't do that," The voice stated, placing a hand on Finn's shoulder, "I need you brother."

"I don't have a brother," Finn stated, opening his eyes and looking straight forward, "I'm an orphan…"

"Yes…" He replied, leaning down to whisper into Finn's ear, "An orphan…but ever wonder who your parents were? Where you came from? Everyone has to come from somewhere…why can't you accept who _you _are."

"Because I don't belong here…" Finn replied, shaking his head, "I'm not royalty…I'm a Twilight Knight…"

"But you have so much more in you," The voice whispered in his ear. Finn sighed, looking down at the marble floor. He then looked up and turned to look at face of the young man haunting him constantly. However, before Finn could look into his face, he woke up.

* * *

**[Message from KC]: **So I started drafting bits and pieces of Volume III and it's shaping up to be really awesome! I know I don't update here as often as I'd like to, also do not be afraid to ask me for my email if you have any questions :D Sorry I haven't been active on this one as I would like to be but I am hoping that now that I am less busy, I can start doing daily chapters again.


	64. Chapter 27: The Cultist

**[Message from KC]:** Hey guys! Sorry about the late update but some pretty crazy stuff has been happening lately. Good news is I should be updating more frequently considering that I now have six weeks off from work and I am technically done with school (for medical withdraw) because I have acute infectious mononucleosis :D and it's going to take me that long to recover -_- anyway so I hope you guys enjoy the update. Like I said I should have one out sooner (probably tomorrow because let's face it, for the next six weeks I'm going to be bored as hell!) So keep an eye out! So read and review and don't be afraid to message me with any questions ;D

* * *

"Let Master Cypress know we've arrived on the terra," Meno stated, looking battered and bruised as she looked over to the wreckage of her downed miniature airship, loaned graciously to her by Cypress. It too was mysteriously brought down by whatever strange force brought down the Twilight Knight's transport as well. She turned to one of two nightcrawlers traveling with her, "Communications are down. We won't be able to get in contact with the outside terras, so fly. Send our report to the Master."

"As you wish," The minion stated, leaping into the air, with its double following not too far behind. Their mechanical flight aids had been damaged in the process as well, and failed repair. Thankfully, the crawlers were capable of flight on their own, although they would most likely only survive the flight to Lumina and live long enough to deliver the message to Cypress. After all, in addition to a flight aid, it was life support as well. Meno didn't care either way. There were one hundred more where those two came from.

"Why are we here?" Noah asked, looking slightly more aged than she had been during the tournament.

"I don't trust this place," Meno stated as she headed through the damp and muddy forest, "Master Cypress doesn't seem to either, however…if the Twilight Knights are here, Advent must have some ulterior motive other than Finn being heir to the throne, as laughable as _that _thought is…"

"What is your plan exactly?" Noah asked, raising an eyebrow, pulling her feet disdainfully through the mud.

"Find out why the twilight knights are here," Meno stated, trekking through the soggy terrain, "And perhaps uncover what strange truths this terra holds as well."

"_Strange truths_?" Noah asked, brushing her dark hair out of her face, "Don't be ridiculous…"

"You don't think it's odd," Meno stated turning around and giving a sharp glare towards Noah, "That this terra doesn't appear anywhere on the map? That all crystal powered devices fail? That Finn jumps through a fifty year time gap and somehow the technologically underdeveloped people of this terra managed to locate him and send him a message?"

"Stranger things have happened," Noah stated with a raised eyebrow, looking down at her own fabricated body, "There is such a thing as coincidences Meno."

"I disagree," Meno replied darkly, continuing through the marshy woods, "I don't believe in coincidences. Especially not occurrences like this. It doesn't happen by chance."

"_That _or you're a bit paranoid," Noah stated under her breath.

"Understand me when I say this," Meno hissed, whirling around and marching back towards the young runeologist, "I like you Noah, but you haven't been here long enough to understand what signs like this mean, and what they bring for us."

"No I couldn't possibly understand," Noah stated, looking up at Meno with a harsh glare, "I've only been alive for more than one hundred and fifty years…snatching the bodies of young women to perpetuate my youth…" She continued with a very sharp and sarcastic spine, locking eyes with the lieutenant as she twiddled a very small, polished, and pristine cut crystal, dangling from a silver chain in between her fingers, "But no…I couldn't possibly understand."

"Forgive me," Meno replied, turning away and heading back into the muck, "I do forget how talented a necromancer you are…"

"Magic _is _my forte," Noah stated flatly, "Even more so than the sciences…Still…if someone as rounded in the arts of spell casting and science as Master Cypress, is worried about the current state of this terra, then I suppose it is worth looking into."

"Agreed," Meno nodded, as she pushed through the soaked brush and out into a small clearing, cutting through which was a muddy (formerly dirt) road, "There…" She stated, nodding towards a small opening in the trees, a little ways from the part of the road on which they stood, "There's got to be a town up ahead…or a village of some sort." She continued, tucking the box she had taken from the doctor underneath her arm, "Most likely they're headed to the capitol, Central. We'll need to have one of the townspeople _point _us in the right direction."

"Oy!" A voice then shouted from behind the two women. They turned around to notice a rather old and weathered looking carriage being pulled by two just as weathered looking horses. The man at the head of the cart pulled hard on the reigns and the cart ceased to a halt in front of the two women, who refused to move, "Are ye daft! Standin in the trade route like that!"

"We're looking to get to Central," Meno stated darkly, walking up to the grimly looking man at the head of the cart, "Perhaps you can help us."

"I can get ye there…fer a price," He laughed, wheezing a bit. Noah gave the peasant a disgusted look as Meno rolled her eyes.

"How about you just take us there?" Meno hissed, staring him down.

"Two young ladies such as yerselves…shouldn't be out wanderin Heissigaurt _alone_…something could happen to ye…" He chuckled, walking towards the two women with an equally dark look on his face. Meno casually glanced over to Noah who looked back towards her as the filthy peasant approached them looming over the women like a fox in a henhouse. The girls then laughed, throwing their heads back at the ridiculousness of the situation.

"I love underdeveloped terras…" Noah stated with a slight smile as the backs of her hands began to glow a pale violet color as two runes appeared prominently.

Chapter XXVII.

The Cultist

The few weeks went by rather quickly. Although from sun up to sun down it was all about teaching Finn the tools of the trade. Everything from getting dressed, to drinking tea became a lesson. So much, in fact, that Finn's initial suspicion of Rebecca and her strange imaginary friend Griffin, weren't even on his mind. He did have some strange dreams still, but none that were quite as unsettling or as disturbing as before. Unfortunately for Finn, he didn't seem to be adapting to the regal mindset very well. The more he thought about it, the more he was content to just give his title to Lady Divida. He knew that Advent was counting on him though, but what she wanted with a terra like this? He couldn't figure out.

"So…Finn stated, carrying several old and tattered books in his hands as he walked alongside Lady Divida within the courtyard, "What else do I have to know in order to impress these guys?"

"You have to prove that you are prepared to take the throne to Dane and the council when you convene next," Lady Divida stated with some worry.

"But why all this manners junk I've been learning about?" Finn stated, rifling through the books, "What does this have to do with me being a leader?"

"I'm sure leadership qualifications are much different where you come from in Atmos Proper," Lady Divida continued, "But here things are different. Your skills in combat alone won't help you here, regardless of your background. You need to know our traditions, our people, our history, and everything else. Not to mention you need to present yourself to the council as a monarch would."

"I still don't understand why you just can't tell me what I need to say to them," Finn began with a long and exasperated sigh, "Coach me through it, and I'll tell them what they want to hear!"

"It's not that simple," Lady Divida sighed, "There is more than just the final meeting." She continued, stepping out in front of Finn, "We have two more months before the council seeks to make their decision. That is more than enough time for us to find a new tact. Perhaps you can't learn…but we will surely try to make it look as though you did."

"Sounds easier said than done," Finn sighed, as she stepped back to his side and they continued into the castle.

"As I imagine it will be," The Lady nodded, "You will still need to learn the very basics however. You will be granted any of the royal Pegasi of your choice, and you will need to learn how to ride horseback-"

"Horseback?" Finn interrupted, burying his face in his palm, "Are you serious?"

"I'm afraid so," Lady Divida nodded.

"Let me ask you this," Finn stated, turning to her, and lowering his voice to avert an eavesdropping ears, "Why won't the council just let you take it?"

"Because," The Lady replied with a laugh (although she looked a little depressed by the thought), "I am but a woman…we are unfit to rule…"

"Then what about any of my other relatives?" Finn asked with an exasperated shrug., "There have to be cousins I have that are dukes…or counts…or whatever-"

"You, Rebecca, and myself," Lady Divida then interrupted, "We are all that remains of the Constantine line…"

"They're all gone?" Finn asked quietly, "Don't you think that's…weird?"

"It is odd," Lady Divida stated, looking down at the ground, "The last generation attempted to further their bloodlines but their spouses died during childbirth, or had several miscarriages before their inevitable death. It wasn't long after until no women of the terra would wed any of the royals…they feared that they were cursed."

"Sounds like a curse to me," Finn stated, looking up at the gloomy sky.

"Yes," She nodded, "Most of the royal men died shortly after too. If they didn't take their own lives, they succumb to a dreadful disease or befell in a tragic accident. Either way, we are all that remains." She stated sadly, looking down at the ground, "But don't mind all that for now. We've much to discuss."

"Wait," Finn stated, seizing Lady Divida's arm. She gave him a sharp look as he quickly remembered how improper his actions were and released his grip, "I'd like to talk to someone first…about this _family curse _thing…"

"Alright," Lady Divida nodded as Finn took off down the halls of the castle. It was clear who he was looking for. The only person he knew that had a broad knowledge of the dark and occult. Stork. Although he had no idea where to begin looking. He hadn't seen much of his friends recently, though he was sure that they were (for the most part) trying to make the best of their situation.

Without hesitation, he immediately began questioning the servants about Stork's whereabouts. They kindly gestured Finn in the directions of which they last saw the dodgy Merb and he followed their instructions poignantly. However, as he continued walking away he noticed something about each of the servants that he hadn't already noticed prior. They always seemed sad, depressed, and miserable, not to mention how they seemed to lurk about the castle. But lately, they seemed almost sickly, like the life was being drained from them. But he couldn't be asked to investigate that now.

He began to climb through the levels of the palace. There was an old bell tower that looked over the southern gardens that was no longer used. According to what he had heard, Stork had been spending his time in the abandoned spire most of the day. Although, once Finn reached the oldest wing of the palace, where the tower resided, he felt something immediately pulse through the air. It was cold and unnerving, and made him almost sick.

He noticed that not a soul was present in the wing. It was seemingly abandoned, and it looked as though it was decaying a bit. Not to mention, other than the sound of the gentle wind outside, it was deathly silent. Cobwebs hung on the rafters above. Some of the window panes were cracked, and some were completely shattered. The hanging tapestries and décor were faded and weathered and the halls were filthy. It was such a depart as compared to the rest of the palace.

Finn then pushed open a set of large oak doors and headed into a time-worn hallway. It was in a similar state as the rest of the wing, cobwebs dangling from the ceiling, shattered windows, and weathered décor. However, there were old portraits hanging within the main hall that made him look twice. One large painting in particular, was hanging at the opposite end of the hall, where the chamber broke into the rest of the old palace. It was the largest in the room with an impressive golden frame. It was a rather standard picture of the old royal family (presumably). The other portraits in the newer wings pf the castle were all of Lady Divida and Rebecca, not to mention the rest of _their _family. So naturally, it was a different to see someone other than them.

There was a large and imposing looking elderly man of about fifty or sixty, dressed in burgundy robes, and standing high above three other women. The first of the women was about thirty or forty with long blonde hair, dressed in a dark green gown, and standing at the right hand of the man. Obviously, this was the former king and queen (just based on their designated head dress). Lastly, there were two young women of about ten, or in their pre-teen age, sitting in front of the elders. They were both pale and blonde with blue eyes. The first was in a light blue silk gown, and the other was in a very familiar shade of sea foam green. He looked closer at the young girl in the green gown, as he took several steps closer to the portrait.

He looked into the face of the girl. Now that he was closer to it, his thoughts were all confirmed. There was no doubt in his mind that the young girl in the portrait was the doctor, when she was a girl. He stepped back, not really sure what to think at this point. Although, his questions about the Doctor's relationship with the terra, the royal family, and to him, were now answered. But with those questions now answered, several new questions came into his mind. Why would she try and hide her past? Why wouldn't she tell him? Did she even know? And more importantly, was Doctor Constantine his _mother_? But he hadn't the time to think about all this. He turned away and set back out immediately to find Stork.

"Stork!" Finn shouted, heading through a set of old doors. He found himself in what looked like an old library. There were no windows, so the books hadn't been exposed to the elements and were still intact. However, the illumination for the what otherwise would have been black room, were several lit candelabras, lit recently of course. Finn let out a sigh, as he began to climb the stone steps of the library that seemed to ascend for quite some time. At some point, the levels of the winding tower stopped carrying books on shelves and just transitioned into a tower, the stairs continuing to wind upwards towards a dark trap door.

Finn finally reached the portal, and pushed open the heavy gate, pulling himself up into what looked like a bell tower. He let out a growl as he was taken aback by the bitter cold, and the dull grey light, now shining in his face. The tower was just as filthy, and just as old. There were several floorboards missing, and it seemed as though some of the support beams were as well. The bells themselves had been cut down and were now sitting sadly on the floor, covered in dust and the old wing's decay. But after taking a quick glimpse of the tower, he found what he was looking for.

Stork was sitting in a massive and open circular port hole, that looked out over the city of Central. He had a book in his hand, and his nose was plunged within the pages, obviously intent on what he was reading. But Finn noticed something else as well. There were dozens, perhaps even hundreds of books and scrolls and papers. There were a few candles lit to give him better lighting, and presumably some warmth.

"Stork?" Finn asked, wondering if Stork either didn't hear him or chose not to notice him.

"Hello," Stork began flatly, still looking through the book, not bothering to look up and notice Finn. He rolled his eyes at the Merb and walked over to the port hole. He took the book from Stork and slammed it shut, which Stork didn't appreciate at all, "What?" Stork snapped.

"I need to talk to you," Finn stated, tossing the book over his shoulder, "You're into some pretty weird stuff…what do you know about curses?"

"Why don't you ask your girlfriend," Stork responded dismissively as he pushed past Finn and lifted the tossed book off of the floor.

"Cyclonis only believes in magic that involves crystals," Finn stated, "It's the same for Piper and everybody else, I want to know about _magic_."

"I see," Stork stated with a blank expression as he sat back down in the port hole, "You don't want to know about true magic. You want to know about it's dark counterpart, _magik_. It's very dangerous…and very illegal. You know that right?"

"Here?" Finn nodded, "Yeah…I know that, even using crystals is illegal here."

"No," Stork stated, shaking his head, "Witchcraft, or any non-sanctioned forms of channeling is forbidden in Atmos. And curses fall under that category. So…what do you want to know?" He asked, turning back to his book.

"Is there a curse," Finn began, "That could…I don't know…kill off a family?"

"Yes," Stork replied, nodding his head, "If you have a talent for true magic, there's nothing you can't do with it. Some forms of magik can even resurrect the dead for a price. But the ability for it seemingly died out." He stated, casually looking up from the book every once in a while, "But I want to know…why do you _want _to know?"

"Would you think I was crazy," Finn began, "If I told you I thought this place was cursed?"

"Yes," Stork stated flatly, once again, nodding, "But, I wouldn't think you were crazy if you asked me if you thought you're family was under curse."

"So you think so too?" Finn stated with a slight sigh of relief, "But…wait…why do you think so? And how do you know anything about my family?"

"What do you think I've been doing up here?" Stork stated, rolling his eyes, "I haven't trusted this place since the moment we got here. I was looking around on the first day, I found this place…apparently the castle used to supplement as a chapel during difficult times. The monks and the keepers of the history used to live in this wing…but when the old king died, they shut this wing of the palace down. I've been reading up on _your_ family Finn." Stork stated with a rather dire look on his face at this point, "There's a lot you probably don't know…and a lot you should know…" He stated, handing a sizable book from the pile, and holding it out towards Finn.

"What's this?" He inquired, looking down at the object.

"It's your lineage," Stork stated, "Everything about the royal family, up until Lady Divida and her sister. They're all that's left…well next to you…and the Doctor…" Stork stated slyly, thinking he was dropping some important news on Finn.

"I know," Finn stated, looking over at Stork seriously as well. Stork looked up at him, looking confused.

"How long have you known?" Stork asked, his brow furrowed.

"About ten minuets," Finn stated, looking through the pages of the book, not looking any less taken aback by the statement.

"You saw the portrait then?" Stork asked with a slight smile.

"Pretty hard to miss," Finn laughed nervously as Stork nodded. Stork then let out a slight sigh as he rolled his eyes, rising to his feet and turning the pages of the book, sitting in Finn's arms.

"You aren't going to find what you're looking for," Stork stated, flipping to the back, "At the beginning…here." He stated, pointing to a spot on one of the very last pages, "Look. Heron and Desdemona Constantine were the king and queen over one hundred years ago. They had two daughters, Robin and-"

"Lenora," Finn sighed, looking down at the lineage, "The doctor…"

"Yes," Stork nodded, turning his attention back to the lineage, "According to this Heron reigned from the time he was eighteen till he was sixty three…dying of what they would have called 'old age'. During that time he married his wife and had a daughter at the age of forty one, the doctor, and two years later they gave birth to Robin."

"It says here that the Doc died when she was fifteen," Finn stated, looking over towards Stork as he eventually sat down as well.

"There's a story behind that," Stork stated, with a slight, devious smile, "Yes…the books say she died…but we all know what really happened. Doctor Constantine was good enough to tell us that on the way here. We just didn't have all the details." Stork added, opening up another book, "She was supposed to be married off, according to this. She was supposed to go to a coming out ceremony, to present her to potential suitors. The records state she died on that day, but she ran away to become an apothecary in Rotherhithe. And the rest is history."

"What about the other sister?" Finn asked, "My…aunt?"

"You don't think the Doctor's…" Stork stated, looking slightly disturbed, "Your _mother_?"

"It makes sense," Finn stated sheepishly, with a slight shrug.

"No…" Stork stated, shaking his head, "_She's _your aunt…Robin…the other sister…is your mother."

"…It says here that she's dead," Finn stated, sounding a little depressed.

"I would hope so," Stork stated, as Finn shot him an angry look, "Listen…" Stork sighed, rolling his eyes, "It says here that after her coming out ceremony, two years after the Doctor's…she still never married or even chose a suitor for three years. It says here though, that she gave birth to not only one child when she was eighteen though, but two…Two twin boys. After that her name disappears from the lineage, but they never state if she died, or they simply disowned her…I hate to say this Finn…but you're illegitimate."

"I can accept that," Finn stated, sounding annoyed, "But what happened to the other kid…I mean…my _brother_?"

"It's funny," Stork stated, sounding confused, "It said that he continued to live with the queen, waiting until he was of age to inherit the throne after the king died. But he died when he was eighteen, almost seventy years ago…what I think is odd…is that your name disappears off of the lineage along with your mother's. It's like after you were born…you never continued to _exist_."

"Creepy," Finn stated, nervously, as he continued to look at the book.

"But to answer your question…" Stork continued, "Every single royal family member since the death of your brother, has been dying once they try to claim the throne. The king had several brothers, and uncles, that all died. All their children died, of strange causes, and their spouses. It's almost like someone is trying to kill off the entire royal family."

"Oh god!" Finn shouted in a panic after a sudden realization, "I'm going to die!"

"No you're not!" Stork growled, slapping Finn on the back of the head, "If you pay attention…none of the deaths started until _relatives _of the royals tried taking the throne and not the _actual _heir."

"But what about this brother?" Finn asked, still sounding terrified, looking through the books, "This…what's his name anyway…Oh! Here it is…what about this…Gr-" Finn began, his face suddenly changing and looking white as a ghost.

"What?" Stork asked.

"Griffin…" Finn stated, looking confused, still staring at the lineage, "His name was Griffin…" He concluded, closing the book and placing it down on the ground as he headed out of the bell tower.

"Where are you going?" Stork asked, rising to his feet as he moved to follow after the young blonde.

"I have to talk to the Doctor," Finn stated, sounding angry as he climbed back through the trap door, leaving Stork alone in the tower.

9999999999999999999

Meanwhile, on the other side of the palace grounds, Junko and Cyclonis were moving about the floors of the palace, just taking in the view. Mostly because they were bored, but Cyclonis had ulterior motives.

"So," She began quietly as the two stared at a picture of the Lady and her sister, hanging within the main hall of the palace, "What do you make of all this?"

"Well," Junko replied innocently, scratching his head, "I don't think Finn's much of a leader…kinda botches the job whenever he gets the chance…ya know?"

"Yes," Cyclonis replied with a slight sigh and smile, "But he has a good head…although it doesn't always seem like it…" She stated, seemingly talking to herself.

"Hmm?" Junko asked, turning to her.

"Nothing!" Cyclonis began, snapping back to reality, "But uh…I do want to ask you about something."

"Sure!" Junko stated with a smile as he turned to her.

"So…not many people know…but…" Cyclonis stated, tripping on her words, "Well actually not really anyone knows…but I-"

"Hey!" The loud and snaky voice of Rebecca snapped from behind them as Cyclonis let out a long and irritated sigh.

"Yes Rebecca," She smiled, turning around to the young girl, although she was visibly annoyed.

"I need your help," Rebecca stated disdainfully, as she pointed to Cyclonis, "Come with me." Cyclonis let out another sigh as she turned away from Junko, shrugging and mouthing the word _sorry _as she walked away.

"What do you need me for?" Cyclonis asked after several minuets of walking through the castle, trying to remain polite as Rebecca refused to tell her anything.

"You'll know when we get there," Rebecca stated, pulling open a large set of iron doors in a strange and secluded part of the castle. They headed down through the doors and began to descend into a dank and dark chamber. Other than the faint light from the torches on the wall, it was completely black.

"Rebecca…" Cyclonis stated, once they reached the end of the seemingly endless staircase, and she stepped down in a six inch deep reservoir of water, "Are…we in the dungeon?"

"Yes…" Rebecca stated, trudging through the water. Cyclonis looked at her cautiously and tried to turn back to head up the staircase, but a large iron gate slammed down in front of her, separating her from the stairs. She jumped back, initially just frightened by the sound of the gate slamming down through the water, but she was then frightened by the fact that the gate fell at all. She immediately knew she was in trouble, but she followed after Rebecca anyway. After all, she was a child, and there wasn't much that she could do against Cyclonis.

"Wait right here," Rebecca stated, turning to Cyclonis once they reached the end of a long and damp hallway. The water was getting deeper now, where it was once up to her ankles, it was now up to her knees, and Rebecca's waist. Rebecca struggled to push open a door through the deep water, just enough so she could slip in, and close the door in front of Cyclonis. She wanted to turn and run at that point, but she also remembered the gate and how no matter where she ran, she would be found.

There was the sound of two people arguing from the other side of the door. The first was Rebecca's and the second, for a moment, she thought was Finn's, but what was he doing down here. It was quiet for a brief moment and they then heard another voice, but she didn't immediately recognize it. It was hard to tell through the thick wooden door and the water covering the gaps in between the floor.

But after a few more moments of silence, she heard three words plain and clear through the hall: Send her in.

She backed away as the door gently swung open. She couldn't see anything in the room other than a faint torch light, and Rebecca standing in the room. The young girl gestured her to come into the room, and Cyclonis reluctantly stepped in. The door then slammed shut behind her and she felt her arms being restrained once she was in the room.

"Let me go!" Cyclonis demanded strongly and sternly, as she struggled to break free.

"Forgive me," Sir Rotchford stated in her ear, "But we can not afford to do that."

"What's going on here?" Cyclonis commanded.

"You'd love to know that wouldn't you," A third voice stated. Cyclonis saw the figure, but they stayed back within the darkness, so she couldn't see his face, "But the thing is…you're awfully close to Finn aren't you?" The voice asked contemptuously.

"Who are you?" Cyclonis demanded.

"No," The voice responded, "I won't allow you that luxury…But I will let you know this," He stated, pacing the water in the darkness, "We need Finn…the three of us. For everything we have worked and striven for, he needs to be focused on taking the throne back before those idiots at the council appoint Lady Divida as the queen."

"But he doesn't want it-" Cyclonis stated, just before being backhanded by the specter in the dark.

"He will have it!" He hissed, "If he does then I do…and will not have everything I have worked for…for seventy years…will be in vain because of some little twat who just wants to be married!"

"How do you know that!" Cyclonis exclaimed, sounding terrified.

"I know everything…" The voice replied, "And as I said…I can't have you ruining everything." "Are you going to kill me?" Cyclonis demanded.

"No," He replied with a laugh, "We would never go so far…" He continued as Cyclonis felt a pair of cold iron shackles wrap around her wrists, "But we need you out of the picture." He concluded as Sir Rotchford pushed her up against a wall, and latched her chains to the wall behind her.

"I don't understand," Cyclonis began, looking to Rebecca and the sir, "Why? What are you even trying to do?"

"I'm afraid they can't tell you that," The voice stated coldly, "Only I can…let's just say that I've been gone for quite some time now…now that I'm back I want back what's rightfully mine, and the only way to get it…is through Finn. Know, Cyclonis, that I am the orchestrator of all of this. Bringing you here, keeping you here, and doing everything in my power to make sure that everything has played in my favor."

"And what about you two?" Cyclonis hissed, looking towards Rebecca and Sir Rotchford, "What do you have in all this?"

"That my dear," Sir Rotchford stated, holding a large stone in his hand, "Is none of your business…" He stated, just before throwing the stone against the back of her head.


	65. Chapter 28: Inheritance

**[Message from Kingdom Come]:** HA! So I wanted to quickly point out that I made a mistake in the last chapter. I said Griffin died almost seventy years ago, but that is a mistake. Griffin died two years before they jumped forward in time, so he would have died _fifty_ years ago…not seventy.

ANYWAY! I know this is kind of a short chapter, but I have the next one already written. I'm not going to post it until later tonight though in the event that you would miss this update the first time! So I'll most likely update again in a couple of hours at like eight or nine o'clock (or 3am...you know whenever I remember). Also, we are coming to the end of the Finn/royal family saga, and actually we should be wrapping up volume 2 very very soon.

That's about it! If you'd be so kind leave a review and add this story to your alerts/favorites if you haven't already done so. I really appreciate it, and it would really help me out :3

* * *

Chapter XXVIII.

Inheritance

"This is indeed troubling," Lady Divida stated, placing her hand on Finn's. They were sitting in the palace gardens early the next morning as the rest of the servants rushed throughout the grounds, and through the winding halls and corridors of the castle, "But we have more pressing issues at-"

"Cyclonis is missing," Finn stated, looking terrified as he turned to Lady Divida, "And all you can think about is the stupid council!" Finn let out a long sigh. He had attempted to talk to the Doctor about what he had discovered with Stork, but Lady Divida had commanded all of his attention. Not to mention Cyclonis' disappearance was more important.

"In case you haven't noticed," Lady Divida demanded, rising to her feet, "But it is very important!" She snapped. Several minuets went by, and she let out a sigh, sitting down next to Finn, "What I am trying to convey is, that we have all of our servants and city guardians scouring the grounds and the city for her. I am sure she just lost her way in the dungeon…after all, it has only been overnight."

"Yeah," Finn sighed, looking up at the sky, "I guess so…"

"It is a shame that Rebecca couldn't be more helpful," Lady Divida sighed as she and Finn continued through the courtyard.

"She wasn't helpful at all," Finn stated quietly. Truthfully speaking, he was right. Rebecca had stumbled up from the dungeon, soaked and filthy, her eyes wide, and silent for the rest of the night. But Finn knew something was wrong. He didn't know how she knew he had a brother, or why she would choose to make him her imaginary friend, but everything about this place was starting to reek.

"If it would help," Lady Divida began, "To clear your mind, that is, we needn't continue with the lessons today."

"Great…" Finn stated quietly. They both stood in silence for a few moments before Finn looked up from the ground and faced the Lady, "Why _don't _you want to be queen?" He asked bluntly.

"I'm sorry?" Lady Divida asked, sounding frightened. She was obviously taken aback by the question, and it wasn't as though it was asked without warrant. She was just hoping that he wouldn't ask.

"Come on," Finn began, crossing his arms, "Who gives something like that up? Especially to someone they don't know…"

"We are family though," Lady Divida stated with a slight sigh, "Distant family…but family none the less."

"It still doesn't make sense," Finn replied, throwing up his hands in frustration.

"Please," Lady Divida began in desperation, "Just understand that I can't be…"

"I'd like to know why though," Finn began, after several more long moments of silence. Lady Divida looked up at him and placed her hand around his arm, guiding him to follow her. She pulled him into a typically secluded area of the new wing and turned to face him.

"I am…" She began, stumbling on her words, "That is to say…I-I am soon to be engaged…wherein the problem lies…"

"What would that be?" Finn asked, concerned for her welfare.

"I am with child." She stated, looking as though she was about to cry. Finn let out a slight laugh, to which Lady Divida responded with a harsh and offended glare, "This isn't funny!" She exclaimed, "A member of the royal family having a child out of wedlock is punishable by death on this terra!" Finn's expression the changed after hearing this statement. He looked down at Lady Divida's stomach. She didn't directly appear as though she was pregnant, but she did look as though she had gained some weight. He guessed she was a few months along.

"So…" Finn began, looking down at the floor and scratching his head, "I mean…I'm sorry for laughing…that kind of stuff is no big deal where I'm from."

"I'm aware," Lady Divida sighed, "Anyway…the council knows. Sir Rotchford is the son of one of the councilmen and he begged his father for the council's assistance. Being the father…he's accountable as well. The _only _way we could both be safe is if we found another heir to the throne…that's when Rebecca came to me, and she told me about you. Of course I didn't _believe _her, but what choice did I have? Little did I know she was _right_…"

"I'm sorry about all of this," Finn stated, "But I _can't_ stay here…I have to go back-"

"To Atmos Proper," Lady Divida sighed, "I know…but I _had _planned on telling you this once you were finally crowned…but I suppose now would be the appropriate time."

"What?" Finn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course you would be allowed to return to Atmos Proper," Lady Divida explained, "Leaving myself and Sir Rotchford behind to take your place whilst you were gone."

"Why didn't you just tell me that in the first place?" Finn asked, sounding frustrated.

"There is much more to this than meets the eye," Lady Divida continued, "And I hadn't expected you to be so resistant."

"Fair enough," Finn stated, "But if don't mind…I'm going to go look for Cyclonis."

"It's dangerous to go down in the dungeon alone…" Lady Divida warned, just before Finn could exit the corridor, "Take one of your friends with you…I haven't been down there in years…and only the Gods know what lurks down there."

"Thank you," Finn began, turning back to look at his cousin.

* * *

Noah took in a deep breath of the damp afternoon mist. The air smelled of mud and worms, but what else could be expected of such a dismal terra. The pair were in Central, standing in front of the black rod-iron gates of the palace. The guards we not present at the gates, most likely because they were scouring the grounds for Cyclonis. Noah turned to Meno, who had an equally abysmal look on her face.

"They are here," Noah stated darkly.

"I know," Meno nodded, "And I suspect you sense it too?"

"There is an overwhelming dark presence here," Noah stated, placing her hand on the iron gates, "Coming from this castle…"

"I understand why the Master take such a concern with this place," Meno began, looking from Noah to the castle, "The presence of darkness here is so thick, it's almost tangible."

"I've never felt something so strong," Noah stated, "Not since I first encountered your master…"

"Master Cypress sent us here to investigate," Meno stated, walking towards the gate to the palace. She placed her hand upon it, and her arm began to glow red, as it often did. In a flash of reddish light, the gate disintegrated, leaving an open path to the castle for the two women, "And if there's something here that rivals my Master in power than we should seek to destroy it."

"Or perhaps we stand by and let whatever this power is, destroy itself," Noah stated, twirling a pulsing magenta crystal in between her fingers, "The forces on this terra make seems to make crystals react negatively…they're highly unstable here."

"Perhaps this force isn't stable in itself?" Meno replied, raising an eyebrow, "Things to consider…something that feels this powerful will eventually collapse in on itself…but we can't afford to wait." She continued as she headed up the grand marble staircase leading to the front gates of the palace.

"Meno…" Noah called, just after she had pushed the entry gate open and began to head into the foyer of the castle. Meno turned to look at her companion, "If this _force _called Finn here…to destroy him…then why try to destroy _it_?"

"If it threatens the guardians," Meno stated simply, "It threatens her…" Noah said nothing in response. She just let out a sigh as she followed Meno into the palace.

* * *

"Sign the damn charter!" A voice echoed throughout the damp and stony chamber within the dungeon if the place. It was a young man, but most of his features were shrouded in the unnatural darkness of the dungeons. He was standing before the council of Heissigaurt, and before Dane was a collection of old documents.

"It's not time!" Dane shouted back, slamming his aged hands down on the table.

"It's time when I _say_ it's time!" The shadowy figure replied, "And the time is now! Sign the charter and make him king…"

"Fine…" Dane hissed as he signed his name down on the document. The other councilmen approached and signed the charter as well. The shadowy figure smiled darkly as he took the document in his hands.

"Excellent," He whispered with an evil smile on his face, "At long last…it's going to be all mine…"

"We have done everything you asked!" One of the councilmen exclaimed in fear, "Now what is going to become of my son!"

"That idiot Sir Rotchford will live…" The figure stated, "As I promised…" He concluded before striding out of the room. He slammed the heavy wooden door behind him and left the council in the poorly lit chamber of the dungeon.

"What have you done councilman Dane…" One of the others asked him.

"I don't know…" He replied silently, collapsing to the ground, sick to his stomach, "I have either saved, or damned this terra…Only the Gods can say now…"

"What does it matter?" Another councilman exclaimed, "We're all going to be spared…Why should we care about an heir that's been missing for seventy years!"

"He's right!" Another one added, "Let us leave this place before he begins the ritual!" They all nodded in agreement as they rushed to the heavy door. One of the younger, more able, councilmen began to push against the door, but it wouldn't move.

"We're trapped!" They exclaimed after several attempts.

"Of course we're trapped…" Councilman Dane began, sitting upright on the damp floor, as the room grew darker and darker, eating away at the already dim candle light, "Griffin never intended to let us live…we were just his pawns…and let's face it, we all knew this…" He concluded before the room went completely black.

The room was then filled with the pain filled screams of the councilmen, and several other bone chilling and inhuman sounds. Dane simply sat in the darkness, looking into the void and awaiting his fate while listening to their screams. He could only think as the darkness began to envelop him about how big a fool he truly was.

* * *

"I don't want to do this…" Stork stated, as he, Junko, and the Doctor followed Finn down the damp stone stairs into the dungeon. Each of them had some sort of torch or lantern in their hands, for the darkness in the dungeon was oppressive.

"Come on," Junko began, visibly frightened, "We're doing this for Cyclonis…and she's our friend…You know she would do the same for us!"

"Never thought we'd ever say that," Stork added as they reached the end of the stairs. Each of them was knee deep in water, and the darkness in the dungeon was so pressing.

"I don't like this…" Doctor Constantine began, holding up her torch, "Cyclonis!" she shouted, as the others joined her in a chorus of calls.

"Maybe we should split up?" Junko asked.

"Absolutely not," Stork stated direly, "Everything bad happens to those who split up in places like these."

"We might find her faster," Doctor Constantine added.

But with that, a cool wind blew through the wide stone corridor and snuffed out their means of illumination. The four figures stood silently in the darkness. None of them could see anything, and they waited for their eyes to adjust. A moment passed before they all heard the sounds of someone trudging through the water in the distance.

"Cyclonis?" Finn called, his hands shaking. But there was no response. Rather, the sounds of the water stopped moving, and in the darkness, they could see the faint outline of a figure in the distance.

"T-that's not her…" Stork whimpered, hiding behind the group.

Finn didn't move though. He stood, transfixed on the image of the figure. He began to breathe heavily, almost as though someone was pushing against his chest, and he watched as the figure began to move forward. He didn't move, and he couldn't speak, all he could do was watch. It was as though he was being possessed. The others however, turned to run, but the same metal gate slammed down before the stairs, blocking their exit.

"What do we do!" Stork screamed, shaking the metal gate. Junko then attempted to wrench the bars open, but it was as though they were indestructible. The wallop stepped back from the gate, seeming all too confused. And the doctor rushed for Finn, pulling on his arm and attempting to flee. But Finn stood firmly in place, like a statue.

"We have to run!" The Doctor exclaimed, but instead of moving, Finn lost consciousness.

Finn awoke several hours later, blindfolded, and tied down to a wooden chair. There was the sound of some sort of mechanical device in the distance. He had been here before, but only in his dreams. He pulled at the shackles, hoping they would yield, but nothing.

"It's pointless you know…" The enigmatic voice of his supposed brother began, "Even if you break free…I've already won."

"Won what?" Finn asked, terrified and confused. He felt the blindfold being lifted from his face, and he waited a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the light (what little there was). He was in a large, circular, stone chamber with torches that surrounded the perimeter. He looked up and saw everyone chained to the walls, facing a strange sight in the middle of the room. It looked like a massive red crystal, hovering in the center of the chamber. It was surrounded by three jagged metal rings, which were spinning around the crystal, and he quickly realized that this was the origin of the mechanical buzzing.

"Finn!" Cyclonis exclaimed, looking up at him from her shackles. She was soaked and filthy as though she had been lost down here for months, not a day.

"Shut up…" Griffin snapped, glaring over at her.

"Leave her alone!" Finn exclaimed, turning to finally look into the face of Griffin. He shouldn't have been shocked that they shared the same face, but he still was. The only notable differences were Griffin's longer hair, and the dark look in his eye.

"Surprised?" Griffin asked coldly, with a dark smile as he crossed his arms.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Finn asked, sounding terrified.

"I am dead…" Griffin began, leaning over the chair, "I've been dead for fifty years!"

"Then this isn't possible!" Finn exclaimed.

"When you're as jaded as I am…" Griffin stated, knocking the chair over, "It's very possible…"

"What do you want with us!" Finn exclaimed, face down on the damp floor.

"I want you!" Griffin shouted, looming over his still living brother's body, "You see…everything I wanted was taken away from me when I died…all I _ever_ wanted was to be king! And after all this wait…and all this time…it's about to happen."

"You can't be king if you're dead…" Finn growled, trying to look up at him.

"That's all about to change…" Griffin stated, looking down at Finn with a pleasant, but frightening smile, "You didn't think that you were brought here just to take over…you should have listened to the Doctor when she told you to stay away from this place…it might have saved your life…but then again, if you _had_ listened, this would have never worked for me."

* * *

"It's down here…" Meno stated, as her and Noah managed to find the entrance to the dungeon of the castle. They pushed open the doors and began to descend the dark staircase.

"Are you prepared to face whatever is down there?" Noah inquired as they pressed deeper into the darkness.

"More prepared than the Twilight Knights, I am sure," Meno stated haughtily as they reached the gate separating them from the dungeon.

"Stand back," Noah began, reaching for her runeologists' necklace. She placed her hands around it, and it began to glow, but then died quickly.

"You keep forgetting that _that_ doesn't work here," Meno smiled, walking up to the gate, and disintegrating it as she had done before.

"Then how are you able to?" Noah snapped, as they headed into the deep water of the dungeon.

"I guess I'm just special," Meno replied with a slight smile. They continued in silence down the path, since they were used to the darkness of Cypress' domain, it didn't take them long for their eyes to adjust. They reached the end of the corridor before they encountered a figure, limping down the next hall towards them. Meno squinted and attempted to get a better look at the figure.

It was dressed in the tattered remains of a councilman's robe. She couldn't see much else, but she knew that based on the mangled state of the figure's frame, that it was once human. She remained unafraid as she pressed through the knee-deep water towards it.

"Come, Noah," She began, "We're on the right track…"


	66. Chapter 29: Ritual

Chapter XXIX.

Ritual

"By now," Griffin began, standing before the large blood red crystal, "I'm sure you're wondering how I managed to pull it all off…"

"I don't really care," Finn snapped, as Griffin kicked the chair over so he could look into Finn's eyes.

"Well…what would be the point in my victory if I could boast about it a little?" Griffin laughed, "But I must say…that this…this was so elaborate…even I didn't believe in it's success. It all started about a week after I had died…my soul was still tethered to this earth…" He began, pacing the floor in front of Finn. No one dared speak, they all just hung from their shackles, listening to Griffin. Even Sir Rotchford and Rebecca who were free from any kind of bindings, but were still spellbound when Griffin spoke.

"It all started with the royals…" Griffin continued, "It didn't take dear old grandmother and father long to get over my death…and they quickly began looking for their next inheritor. I was appalled, and my rage quelled, even in the afterlife. How could they just move on like that!" He screamed, slamming his hand against the stone wall, "But no matter…as it turned out, the more angry and bitter a spirit becomes, the more tangible its presence in the living realm becomes. So I let myself become angrier than ever possible with human emotions. I finally reached the point where I could interact with physical items freely. So…I decided since I couldn't have the throne…none of them could! And I killed them…every…last…one of them…for fifty years…"

"You're insane…" Finn exclaimed.

"Death does that to you," Griffin replied casually, "But I realized that even if they were all dead…someone was still going to inherit…no matter what. Thankfully, my ending the lives of every royal family member began to perpetuate the idea that the throne was cursed…covering my tracks even in the afterlife…But it still didn't solve my dilemma. I couldn't take what was rightfully mine now that I was dead…So I began to think. Thankfully, spirits can roam the earth freely…instead of being attached to one place. So I traveled to Atmos Proper. After all, since any type of natural manipulation, be it magic or science, is forbidden, I couldn't find any information _here_. But it didn't take me long to discover what I needed to know…rummaging through someone else's library, I came across an interesting little fact. Spirits, can take possess any body they choose, but only temporarily. That is…unless the body is that of a _direct _family member.

"This however brought me to my second predicament…all my direct family was dead. Mother, father, and brother…or so I thought. It wasn't until I was traveling Atmos in search of a new answer when I stumbled into a place Lumina City. Some sort of…_tournament _was happening. And to my surprise, I see the face of one of the tournament victors flash on a screen outside of the arena in the center of the city. Your face, Finn.

"Now I thought this to be impossible! You had to be over seventy years old…much like I would have been. But I didn't care! I immediately returned home, and plotted a way to get you here…where I could finally end my suffering. That's where Rebecca came into play. She and her foolish sister were the only members of our family left alive. Little did I know, that Lady Divida had every intention of taking the throne…so I had to remedy that. My first initial though was kill her…but after some observation, I came up with a better idea. This is where Sir Rotchford came into play…I noted that Lady Divida would never rule, unless she was engaged or married. She also had her eye on him for quite some time…Unfortunately for her, Sir Rotchford was going to be harder to obtain than she thought."

Griffin strode over to the young man, who was looking down at the floor, with guilt in his eyes. Griffin began to circle Sir Rotchford like a vulture around a carcass.

"He had an _obession_ apparently," Griffin continued hatefully, spitting venom into Sir Rotchford's ear, "With the royal family…but not the women…oh no…never the women…He was a pitiful homosexual, of course he would never admit it…as many things are on this terra, homosexuality is punishable by death."

"Sir Rotchford…" Lady Divida began, breaking the silence that followed, "It isn't true…is it?"

"Just looking at you makes me sick…" Sir Rotchford began, still looking down at the ground, "And it sickens me knowing that it's my child inside you-"

"You bastard!" Lady Divida wailed, hanging from her shackles.

"Of course it wasn't him who did the deed," Griffin stated, walking over to Lady Divida as he looked down at her growing condition, "There was no way he was man enough to get the job done…So I did it…I took over his body and all it took was a week, and one night alone together."

"How could you?" Lady Divida cried.

"I couldn't get what was rightfully mine if I hadn't," Griffin smiled, as he placed his icy hand on her face, "Don't worry…I released Sir Rotchford from my control after the deed was done. And a few days later, as I had planned, you were with child. So…" he continued, turning back to Finn, "In an act of desperation, knowing that the child was his, he turned to his father, a member of the royal council. I knew he would…Sir Rotchford wouldn't want to lose his head over something like this. So I appeared to High Councilman Dane, prior to the Sir's visit to the council. Dane was terrified…but knew that it was me ending the lives of the royal family…and not some silly curse. I instructed him on what to do, lest he befall the same fate as the royals. And he did. He instructed the Lady and the Sir to be married, but not before she found someone else to inherit the throne. All she had to do now, was find you Finn! But Dane knowing your whereabouts would be too suspicious. I had to throw you all off my trail. And that's where Rebecca came in. My sweet…sweet Rebecca…" He snarled, looking over to the confused little girl.

"I established a quick…and false friendship with the girl…" Griffin continued, "Which she fell for…as I had planned. So I asked her to do me a favor, have her sister write a letter to Finn…in Lumina City. Lady Divida didn't think anything of it of course, except that it was just her silly sister's overactive imagination. It was only when your presence was announced in Heissigaurt that she began to believe…and she felt that the answers to her prayers had come. All you had to do, was come and be crowned. I would then enact my ritual, and take over your body, so I could finally rule and my soul would be at peace.

"But you just had to bring along your damned friends! They were another mess I had to deal with…thankfully I had still held on to Sir Rotchford, Rebecca, and the council. They proved to be of some use to me yet. Little did I know that your lover proved her usefulness as well. She was an excellent lure to bring you down here. And as for the rest of them…they will be excellent catalysts in my ritual."

"So what are you going to do!" Finn exclaimed.

"You see this stone behind me?" Griffin began, gesturing to the red crystal, "It's called a bloodstone. You see…they call this place the Holy Terra of Heissigaurt for its strange properties and its effects on crystals. This crystal has been hidden in the dungeon of this palace for centuries. It is the reason that the terra stays hidden, and it's the reason that it negates the effects on most crystals. Not to mention, every time someone on this terra dies, the bloodstone grows in size. And, it grows in power. I didn't know that the more members of the royal family I eliminated, the more powerful the relic became. And in my travels around Atmos, I figured out a way where I can use it to separate your spirit from your body…leaving behind the empty shell for me to take over."

"That will never happen!" Cyclonis exclaimed, "Advent will sense that there's something wrong and she'll come!"

"No one is coming for you…foolish girl," Griffin replied, rolling his eyes.

"Griffin!" Rebecca then exclaimed, as the spirit turned to look at the girl, "You…you lied to me?"

"Rebecca…" Griffin sighed, shaking his head, "You didn't actually think I cared about someone as pathetic as you?" Rebecca said nothing. She collapsed to her knees, burying her face in her hands and she began to weep.

"It'll never work…" Finn shouted, scared, but repossessing some courage as he shouted back at the specter of his deceased brother, "You forget that I'm one of the nine guardians, so is Cyclonis, and Junko…and Stork! The Twilight Knights will come here to find us-"

"I don't care!" Griffin shouted, looking completely psychotic as he loomed over Finn, "All I want is to be king! And I can't do that in death-"

"Just move on!" Finn shouted at the top of his lungs, and silencing the entire chamber, "You died! It happens! People die everyday…"

"Easy for you to say…" Griffin hissed, "You're still alive!"

The room was silent for a long time. Other than the whirring of the rings, nothing could be heard. Griffin looked around at their faces, and he looked down at the rune painted on the ground beneath the crystal. It was almost ready, and he was just in reach of what he sought after for so many years.

"If you have anything to say…." Griffin smiled, turning away from Finn to look at his hanging victims, "I suggest you speak your peace now."

"How could you do this to me?" Lady Divida cried as she looked over to her fiancée, "I thought you loved me?"

"I didn't do anything to you…" Sir Rotchford hissed, "Don't blame me for this…I am just as much a victim here as you are."

"Get out of my face…" Lady Divida replied, spitting in Sir Rotchford's eye, "You're a selfish bastard! Why would you continue to help him!"

"That's none of your business," He replied, throwing his hand across her face for her insolence. Lady Divida took it in stride however. Sir Rotchford turned his shoulder away from her and walked towards Griffin, who was staring up at the stone like an excited child.

"Do you feel it?" Griffin asked, taking a deep breath, as Sir Rotchford stood by his side, "It's almost here…"

"It will be a pleasure to finally rule under you, my king," Sir Rotchford began.

The chamber then began to shake. Griffin looked around in confusion as the ceiling to the chamber began to fall around them. Both Griffin and Sir Rotchford looked around the chamber for the source of the disturbance. Finally one of the walls within the chamber began to glow a bright red, and disintegrated in a flash of burning red light.

"What is the meaning of this!" Griffin hissed, looking around as the dust began to clear. Meno and Noah rushed into the room, to the shock of those who knew them, "Twilight Knights? Impossible!"

"What are you doing here!" Cyclonis exclaimed, in shock.

"We're going to die…" Stork then stated flatly, upon noting Meno and Noah's presence, "You all know that right."

"Not today," Meno stated, rushing over to the shackled prisoners. With a loud, quick popping sound, and another flash of red light, the shackles crumbled around their wrists.

"Why are you helping us?" The doctor asked, as she moved towards Meno and Noah.

"We have our motives…" Meno stated, "Noah, take them all and get out of here!" Noah nodded as she gestured them all to follow her into the dungeon.

"Come on Rebecca!" Junko called, moving to carry the girl out with them. Cyclonis seized his large hand and pushed him away from her.

"Forget her!" Cyclonis exclaimed, "She's one of _them_! Now go!"

"What about you?" He asked, following them out of the palace.

"I'm not leaving without Finn!" She replied direly.

"And neither am I," Meno added, facing towards Griffin. He shot Meno a wild and crazed look, as the specter rushed towards her, wrapping his now tangible hands around her neck.

"YOU!" He hissed, as Meno tried to shake him off, "You will not ruin this for me!" Cyclonis seized Griffin's distraction and moved to set Finn free. However, Sir Rotchford stepped in front of her, clutching what looked like a metal rod or a pipe. Cyclonis tried seizing the item from him, and they grappled for quite some time before Sir Rotchford pushed her down to the ground, and she released her grip. Her head collided with the stone floor, and she let out a grumble as she tried to peel her body off the ground.

But the grappling stopped between all parties, once they heard a harsh scream coming from Finn. They all turned and watched as the crystal emitted a pure red beam of light, which washed over Finn's restrained figure. They all watched as the color from Finn's began to drain away. The life was literally being drained from him. Cyclonis rushed to his side in an attempt to break him free of his restraints, but once her skin came in contact with the reddish light, it singed her skin. She hissed as she staggered back, holding her burnt hand. Griffin then laughed, walking over into the light.

"It's over!" Griffin laughed, "You've all lost! And everything is finally going to be mine!" He laughed as his somewhat translucent form slowly began to grow more and more solid, as Finn appeared to slip away, his body fading into nothing.

"No!" Cyclonis shouted, rushing towards them, only to be held back by Sir Rotchford.

"You mustn't interfere!" He growled, as Cyclonis kicked and struggled to break free. Meno took the opportunity. There was no one free to hold her back.

Her arm began to radiate with the reddish static, and she moved towards Griffin, who's new body was materializing. With every ounce of force the Imperial lieutenant had, she thrust her hand through Griffin's back, and up through his chest. The crystal then stopped glowing and began to crack. The rings circling the relic then ceased to move and fell to the ground. The crystal began to break into large shards, falling to the ground with a loud crashing noise.

"No!" Griffin screamed, "What have you done!" He exclaimed, as his forming body quickly became intangible once again, and his body fell through Meno's arm. They turned to look at Finn, but he sat unconscious in the chair, his body translucent.

Cyclonis rushed to him and was hoping that there were still remnants of his physicality remaining. However, as she tried to wrap her arms around him, she fell through. Finn was just a ghost now, like Griffin.

"NO!" Griffin screamed once again. He swiped his hands at Finn, trying to get inside, but to no avail, "Why! Why…can't…I…touch…you!" He cried, in between swiping at the ghostly visage of his brother.

"I hate you…" Griffin hissed, turning to look at Meno and Cyclonis' somewhat horrified faces, "I hate you all!" He screamed, trying to seize them. But again, his hands phased through their bodies. His chance was gone.

Finally, the last piece of the bloodstone ceased glowing, and fell to the ground with all the other lifeless shards. It was now just a worthless stone. Griffin turned his ghostly visage to the broken bloodstone, and looked in horror as his body began to glow red. He let out one final scream as the crystal shards began to glow as well, absorbing Griffin's essence.

"What happened!" Sir Rotchford shouted, looking over to the stone, and seizing Meno by the collar of her uniform, "What did you do to my king!"

"It…it was a residual effect…" Rebecca began, still sobbing as she rose to her feet, "Of the bloodstone…"

"Rebecca?" Cyclonis asked, walking towards the girl. She looked back at the stone, they were still pulsing with some life, left over from Griffin's spirit. She then looked back to the young girl.

"Griffin…" She began, "Even in life was no crystal mage…or symbologist…but I was…I would never tell anyone though. Except for him…All I did was follow his instructions…staging the ritual and preparing the stone was all my doing…he used me…and all I wanted was to be with him…"

"You loved him…" Cyclonis began, kneeling down next to the girl, "Didn't you."

"People do crazy things for love," Rebecca smiled weakly, looking up at her, "Or so they say…Griffin failed to complete the ritual. He attuned himself to the stone, but since he was interrupted in the transference of tangibility, the stone took his soul in exchange for the power he wasted during the ritual…it wouldn't have happened had it not been interrupted. The stone would have taken Finn and Griffin would have his body."

"Finn won't stop fading," Meno exclaimed, kneeling down next to Finn, who's image was becoming thinner and thinner with each passing moment, "If we don't do something now…he will be lost forever!"

"Let him die!" Sir Rotchford hissed.

"I have had enough of you!" Meno shouted, seizing Sir Rotchford by the neck.

"No!" Rebecca exclaimed, "Let him go…" Meno hissed as she released her hold on Sir Rotchford.

"Is there anything you can do?" Cyclonis began, noting her lover's fading form.

"Maybe," Meno began, pushing Sir Rotchford to the ground and walking over to the stone, "With the right catalyst, we could use Griffin's essence and the stone in a reaction to create a new body for Finn."

"But we need a catalyst," Cyclonis stated in a panic, "What on earth do we use."

"Not what," Rebecca began, "But who…" With that comment, the women turned to Sir Rotchford, and the lord stumbled to his feet, backing away from the pair.

"Get away from me!" He shouted, backed up against a wall.

"Wait," Rebecca called, before the two women could seize him, "I'll do it."

* * *

**[Message from KC]: **Hey world! How's it going and how's life? Anyway, like I promised, here's the next chapter. Sorry it's not nearly as long as the others (Though it is 11 straight pages without a single break), but hey! The saga isn't quite over yet! This time I actually promise to have the next chapter up by tomorrow.

So anyway! Thanks for reading! Add this story to your alerts/favorites if you haven't already done so, and please leave a review, as I would really appreciate it and it would really help me out :D

-Happy Tuesday from KC!


	67. Chapter 30: The Binding of Rebecca

**[Real quick message!]:** Ten more chapters to go and we're done :D

Chapter XXX.

The Binding of Rebecca

Meno and Cyclonis managed to restrain the traitorous Sir Rotchford, long enough for Rebecca to complete the task at hand. She stepped up to the faintly glowing bloodstone shards. The symbol she had created was still in tact beneath the crystal shards, though it was still usable.

"You know you don't have to do this," Meno began, kneeling down next to Rebecca as the young girl placed her hands gently down upon the painted circle, "There is another way."

"I know," Rebecca responded, "But we don't have the time." She added, pulling back the sleeves of her pink silk gown, and placing her fingertips back on to the circle, "I don't have much else I really care about anyway. What's the point? Right?" She asked with a slight laugh.

"Rebecca…" Cyclonis began, holding on to Sir Rotchford by the collar of his shirt, "You're eight years old…there's so much more for-"

"No," Rebecca replied, with a slight smile and sad eyes as she looked into the face of Finn's fading image, "No…there really isn't anything here for me. You're in love…you should understand how it would feel."

"Yes…I do," Both Meno and Cyclonis replied. Both women looked to one another, shook their heads and turned back to Rebecca.

She let out a sigh. If she wasted anymore time, Finn would be lost. She took a deep breath and pressed her hands firmly on the symbology mark. The ground below her began to emit a pale greenish-blue light, and the stone itself changed in color. The whole chamber danced with the calming bluish light, and the three adults watched in silence as Rebecca's body began to fade within the shimmering light.

The bloodstone shards were soon gone, evaporating into light which enveloped the image of Finn to the point where all that could be seen was a blurred image of white light. The lights continued to dance around the room, and the glistening image of Rebecca drifted gently into the air, just so her toes were barely an inch off of the ground. The lights around the room continued to circulate, but the light had faded from Finn.

Cyclonis could hardly breathe as she rushed over to him. She lifted his warm, very tangible body off of the ground, and placed a frigid hand on his face. His deep blue eyes fluttered open as he regained consciousness. Cyclonis couldn't contain her joy as her violet eyes smiled back him with two sizable blue tears hanging at the corners of her eyes. He smiled back at her, and placed his hand on her face. He then wrapped his arms around her neck and she took him in her arms, sobbing into his shoulder.

"I thought I'd lost you," She whispered into his ear.

"Me too," He replied, not letting go of her for a minuet.

Rebecca was still with them, but not for much longer. Meno looked up at the now fading image of the young girl. She was smiling, only slightly, as she looked down at them, staring at something that she, even as a young girl, had always wanted. Rebecca's smile then faded as the look in her eyes turned dark. Even as she felt herself slipping away, she still managed to call out to them. Finn and Cyclonis pulled themselves away from one another just long enough to get a good look at Rebecca.

"You'll be a-…" Rebecca began, but her voice faded away. She looked down at her slowly disappearing hands and gave them both a weak smile. She wasn't much longer for this world, and she knew it. She knew it when she agreed to saving him.

Cyclonis and Finn didn't know what to say. The both rose to their feet, still holding one another's hands. They both knew that they would never be able to repay her, and she knew that. They also knew that she would never see Griffin, wherever it was that her spirit was going. Cyclonis couldn't stand it anymore. She attempted to thank Rebecca, but she choked and stumbled on her words, unable to think of the right thing to say. There were so many words that she could have conveyed, but none of it seemed to be enough. Rebecca gave her a slight smile back at her though, knowing what she was trying to convey, but the sadness that still hung in her eyes was apparent. It didn't seem fair. She was so young, and to be hurt and used in such a way was almost criminal. Even Meno found herself effected by the display of selflessness. She looked into Rebecca's fading image, and couldn't help but smile a little. This young girl becoming another lost soul seemed appropriate somehow. Meno didn't exactly know what she was feeling. It wasn't disgust or contempt, but it wasn't good, whatever this was. Maybe it was guilt?

"Thank you, again," Finn stated quietly, as Rebecca rolled her eyes at him and gave him a soft smile. She already knew, but he wanted to say it just once, aloud so she could hear. The shimmer from her vision was fading, and her body was becoming more and more transparent quicker, and quicker.

Rebecca opened her mouth as though she was about to say something despite knowing that she could not. She was no longer smiling though, but the sadness was still in her eyes. Though, before the sound could escape her mouth, she was gone. There was nothing left of her, except a small pile of slate-grey dust, laying scattered across the floor.

"She's gone…" Cyclonis stated after several agonizing moments of silence.

"Is there a bottle nearby?" Finn asked, looking around the room, wiping his eyes as he did so, "A box? Anything?"

"Here!" Meno exclaimed, emptying out the contents of one of the leather pouches strapped to her leg. She tossed it to Finn and he immediately knelt down, and brushed the faint ashes into the container. There wasn't much, but there was enough.

"What are you going to do?" Cyclonis asked, as Finn closed the square pouch and nodded to the two women as an indication to leave.

"She saved my life," Finn stated flatly, with a slight shrug, "I think we owe it to Rebecca to put whatever is left of her to rest."

"I think you're right," Cyclonis smiled, resting her head on his shoulder and looking down at the black leather pouch

"She was so young…why would she just…give up like that?" Finn asked, turning to Cyclonis.

"She didn't think there was anything left for her…" Cyclonis replied, "Can you imagine being _that _young…and thinking you have nothing to live for."

"Alright," Meno growled, throwing Sir Rotchford over her shoulders. He growled as he tried to wrestle his tied hands free, but Meno shot him a hateful look, and the cowardly lord ceased, "Let's get the hell out of here…please…I want to get back to Lumina City as soon as possible so I can wash the taste of this whole Heissigaurt ordeal out of my mouth…especially you two…"

They made their way into the watery dungeon, and hurried through the corridor as quickly as possible. Both were still highly suspicious of Meno and her motives, but had it not been for her, they might have all been dead. They were grateful for the temporary truce, but they both knew that once they returned to Atmos Proper, all bets were back off.

"Where are you taking me!" Sir Rotchford commanded, as Meno threw him around like an old rag doll.

"You?" Meno replied, indifferently, "You're going back to New Atmosia to stand trial before the Queen of Atmos Proper, Master Cypress."

"On what charges!" Sir Rotchford exclaimed in terror.

"Malicious intent against the Queen's niece," Meno replied flatly, "And attempted destruction of the Queen's property."

"I don't know why Cypress would care," Finn muttered under his breath.

"I don't really care if _she_ cares or not," Cyclonis replied, "The point is, this is over, and we can return home."

They remained silent until they finally made their way out of the horrid dungeon. Partially because they were still comprehending everything that had just happened. The group began to ascend the damp stone staircase, but immediately upon reaching the top of the steps, they all noticed that something was off.

"Does it seem brighter?" Cyclonis asked, as they headed back into the palace. As a matter of fact, it was brighter. Without another word they rushed through to the foyer of the palace, and outside to face the city.

Something was different with the terra. The thick grey haze had dissipated and for the first time on the terra Heissigaurt, the people saw a blue sky, and the sun. The citizens were all outside, examining the skies, some with fear and some with wonder. Meno then began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Finn asked.

"Nothing," Meno replied with a laugh, "It's just that all this time, I thought Heissigaurt was being hidden by this powerful group of magisters or some curse…but no…it was being hidden by a big crystal and Finn's dead brother."

"Have you ever heard the expression _if you hear hoof beats behind you, don't expect to see a zebra_?" The doctor then called, heading up the marble staircase.

"Can't say that I have," Meno stated with a slight smile, raising an eyebrow as she dropped Sir Rotchford on to the ground like a dead animal.

"Meno," Noah interrupted, stepping towards her, "Communications are back online. I've called Anaximenes for an airlift at our coordinates."

"As did we," The Doctor stated, turning to Finn and Cyclonis.

"Aerrow should be here any minuet now," Stork added, looking around at the terra with a newfound hatred, "And not a minuet too soon. Get me the hell out of here!" He snapped, crossing his arms and looking up at the sky, awaiting Aerrow's arrival with the transport.

"Doc," Finn then called, heading after the slender blonde woman. She turned around and smiled at him, already knowing what he was about to ask.

* * *

_Your mother and I always had lofty ambitions. I always knew that there was some grand adventure waiting for us beyond the stone walls of the castle. But we were chained to our situation. Neither of us were fit for royalty. But this story you already know._

_I was disowned once I left to become a doctor. I stole one of the royal pegasi and flew to Atmos Proper, where a few short years later, I met Advent._

_And, a few short years later, My sister, Robin Constantine, joined me. She was always a gifted archer. And, of course, Archery is a talent a princess should have. Every time I see you fight, I see a little of my sister in you show itself. Anyway, she had always wanted to welcome a sky knight squadron to the terra, with her at the head, but our father always opposed it. Finally, after her coming out, she sought a way to freedom. She was fifteen years old when she secretly began courting a young man named Artemis Hadley. They fell madly in love, despite being in an arranged union, much like I had been before leaving._

_When Robin reached the age of eighteen, she and Artemis conceived you and Griffin. Outraged, our mother and father sought to execute Robin and Artemis for such infidelity, but keep the children, passing them off as Sons, so finally a man could inherit the throne._

_I wrote frequently to my sister during the days of her pregnancy. When she told me that she and Artemis were scheduled to be killed once she carried the children to term, I immediately began planning her escape. Now, by this time, I was twenty and already the adjunct doctor to the Twilight Knights._

_Admittedly, I used Twilight Knight resources without Advent's permission. But it was for a greater good. I arrived on the terra on the date of your birth, intending to stay hidden until you were born. Thankfully, you and Griffin were born two weeks early, and given the commotion around the city that the 'Queen' had given birth to twin boys, it was easy to sneak into the castle._

_Regretfully, they had already taken you and your brother, but I was more focused on rescuing my sister and her beloved. But Robin was attached to you boys, and she wouldn't leave without you. I thought it was silly, but then again, I wasn't a mother. I lead Robin and Artemis to the edge of the woods beyond Central, where my skimmer was. I told them to wait, while I returned with you and Griffin._

_I reentered the castle, and thankfully it was late at night, so making my way was much easier with the shadows acting as my cover. I entered the king and queen's bedchamber, where I found both of you, asleep, in a crib._

_I lifted you up, but I disturbed Griffin in the process, and he began to cry. The king and queen awoke, and without another thought, I ran. You slept through the entire time, which I was grateful for, but it didn't stop them from chasing after us. Soon the entire terra was covered with guardsmen. And by that point, it didn't take them long to realize that Artemis and Robin were missing._

_When I reached the clearing where I had left my sister and her lover, your father, They were surrounded by guards. I pushed through the crowds, holding you in my arms, and I demanded that they let us go, or I would harm you, which was obviously a lie. The guards stepped back as Robin and I climbed on to the skimmer. Robin called out for her lover, but he commanded me to take you and Robin somewhere far away, where the king and queen would never find you. Robin screamed and protested, but I didn't think anything of it._

_I started the engine, and took off into the sky, and I never looked back. When we landed in Atmosia, I took Robin to the sky knight council immediately. We explained our situation to the councilmen, and they granted Robin the chance to earn her knighthood. Though, she would have to spend six months undergoing the trials. I hastily agreed to watch over you while she went away. And, I was still able to carry out my duties as doctor while watching you._

_Robin also tasked me with giving you a suitable name. Though, it took me ages to find something suitable. Though, after about three months of getting used to you, and learning a little about what kind of man you would grow up to be, I came up with the name Finn Edward Hadley._

_Your mother returned three months later, eager to reunite with her son. She had also been assigned to apprentice with a sky knight squadron before being assigned to her permanent squadron. She had been placed with a squadron who, like her, had an infant to care for. The Storm Hawks. Their leader, and his wife, had an infant of about the same age. Aerrow._

_Robin learned much while she traveled with the Storm Hawks, and she still continued to write to me. Artemis still kept in contact with her, even from prison. And he sent me letters as well, telling me of the King and Queen's new son, Griffin, and how even in infancy, they were training him to be the perfect prince. I didn't care much though. Robin was happy, and she traveled with the Storm hawks for a long period of time. Though, when you were three, your mother was stricken with a strange illness._

_In that year, I did everything to try and find a cure for it. But to no avail. Robin died nearly four months after your third birthday. The Storm Hawks met me in Atmosia, where I was fully prepared to take you and look after you. But in the two years you had been gone, you had formed a bond with Aerrow, and the rest of the squadron had formed a strong bond with your mother. Lightning Strike was happy to look after you, saying that he was doing it in service of a friend._

_I never meant to abandon you, and if you feel that I've done so, believe me it was unconsciously done. Once my affairs had been settled with the Twilight Knights, and I had the time to take you back in, I returned to Atmosia where I had hoped to find the Storm Hawks. And, I did. But you were six then, and you hardly remembered who I was. I had spoken to Lightning once again, and he agreed that if I was ready to raise you, then he had no right in keeping you from me. But, after spending the day with the squadron, and watching you with Aerrow and the rest of the squadron, I knew that it wouldn't do you much good in taking you with me._

_So I left you in the care of the Storm Hawks. And for a while, things were okay. That was, until the battle for Cyclonia. Lightning was killed, and so was the rest of the Storm Hawks squadron. I meant to come back…_

_I always meant to come back…_

_The issues between the Twilight Knights had escalated, and Advent had taken it upon herself to re-commission me, without my consent. But I resolved that I was going to take you back into my custody now that you were technically orphaned. Whether you remembered me or not. I evaded Advent long enough to return to Atmosia, but the condor had been lost and no one knew what had become of you. I thought the worst._

_I still evaded Advent for as long as I could. She and I were friends but I was not interested in her, or her war. I had heard some rumors about a new Storm Hawks squadron, but I merely believed that it was a group of kids masquerading as the real thing, and I dismissed any hopr. It wasn't until when Advent sought my advice on the death of a bystander a year ago, I finally agreed to return to my practice. It had been years since the first assault on Cyclonia and I needed to stop mourning._

_As the fates would have it, the same force that brought you to the Twilight Knights, also had brought me. When I first saw your face upon returning, I knew it was you, even though I hadn't seen you in years. But I said nothing. I still can't figure out why. All I knew was that Robin had wanted me to keep you from Heissigaurt._

_I figured that as long as we were in the same squadron, I could keep you from the terra. But as your first year as a part of the squadron passed, I realized that creating an attachment to one another wouldn't be in either of our best interests. You made your own family from the ruins of the past, and there was clearly no place for me within it._

* * *

"I am assuming that was all you wanted to know," The Doctor stated, looking up to the sky, as Finn stood beside her.

"Kind of…" Finn replied, turning his head to look at his aunt, "But why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I already told you," Doctor Constantine smiled, looking over to him, "You and the other guardians have so much to worry about…the last thing you need is your old Aunt Lenora making drama for you…I will admit, I was furious with Advent when she told you to come here…and I begged her to drop it. Though she seemed she had her mind made up."

"Does that ever bother you?" Finn asked, turning to the Doctor, "It bothers me."

"What does?" Constantine asked, sounding confused.

"Nothing," Finn replied, shaking his head.

"Guys look!" Junko exclaimed as a boxy grey transport drifted over the horizon. They breathed a sigh of relief when they noted Piper standing at the top of the opened hatch, and clinging to the wall of the transport. It gently drifted above the ground, enough for the opened hatch to touch down against the ground. Without thought or hesitation, Stork rushed up the hatch, past Piper without a word, and took a deep breath as he sat down in the transport.

"Nice to see you too," Piper began, rolling her orange eyes, with a smile, as she took Junko's hand and pulled him into the transport (though he almost pulled her out of it in the process).

"Good to see you Piper," Cyclonis began with a slight smile as she hoisted Cyclonis into the carrier.

"God…" Piper began, looking them all over, "You guys look…terrible…"

"You don't know the half of it," Stork growled, crossing his arms as Cyclonis sat down next to him.

"Well," Aerrow called from the control pit, sounding a bit dire, "You can tell us all about it when we get back to headquarters…we've got a lot to tell you too!"

"What's going on?" Cyclonis inquired as Finn and the Doctor climbed into the ship as well.

"Hold on," Finn called before the carrier took off. He turned back around to Lady Divida, and outstretched his hand towards her, "Aren't you coming?"

"Why?" She asked as the engines of the foreign vehicle roared.

"There's nothing for you here!" Doctor Constantine shouted over the roar of the machine, "Come to the mainland terras with us…"

Lady Divida looked reluctant, as she looked to Finn and the Doctor, and back to the palace. There was one final call from Aerrow and she leapt towards the pair without thinking. The transport then took off the ground, leaving Meno, Noah, and their prisoner behind.

"Wait!" Lady Divida shouted, thinking that she wanted to turn back, but she looked down and noted that they were now thirty or forty feet in the air, and she clung to Finn and the Doctor, "Never mind…" She whispered as the hatch closed.

"At least in Atmos Proper you'll be able to raise your child without worry," Doctor Constantine smiled, placing a hand on the Lady's shoulder.

"Finn," Piper began, looking slightly concerned, "Who's this."

"This is Lady Divida," Finn stated, "…I'll explain later…"

Meanwhile, down on the ground of the terra, Meno and Noah stood, watching the grey transport fade. Once the ship was out of sight, Meno smiled slightly and dropped Sir Rotchford to the ground.

"What is it?" Noah asked, turning to Meno.

"It's just a shame." Meno smiled, placing her hands on her hips.

"I know," Noah replied, "It seems as though coming here was pointless…"

"No," Meno smiled, "Not entirely. What I mean is that, it's a shame young Rebecca sacrificed herself…you missed it, but by far that was the most impressive use of the binding I've seen."

"T-the binding?" Noah began, looking scared and confused at the same time, "But I thought that it's mastery-"

"Takes time and practice," Meno replied, raising an eyebrow, "Yes…but it seems that Rebecca had a natural talent for it. She used the bloodstone to regenerate Finn's body, sacrificing her own…but she didn't sacrifice her soul." Meno added, lifting a small piece of the stone that happened to remain. She must have taken it while Finn and Cyclonis were distracted with one another.

"I see…" Noah began, staring at the shard, "She bound herself to the crystal…but why?"

"I don't think it was intentional," Meno stated, placing the slightly glowing stone in one of her side pouches, "She's still alive…and with a raw and unrefined power like hers at our disposal…"

"I should say that this trip wasn't as pointless as I thought," Noah replied with a smile.

* * *

**[Message from KC]: **WHEEW! I finally finished it :,D and I finished this friggin storyline! Plot inconsistencies! Who gives a f*ck! IT'S DONE! Anyway, in all seriousness, I am very happy to finally getting back to the main story. Uhm, I don't really have that much else to say!

As always, if you guys could leave a review, let me know what you thought, or if you have any questions? I always really appreciate the reviews :3 Anyway, I'm going to try and update the next chapter sooner. (I think a lot of the 'lack of updates' lately was because I didn't really like this storyline as much when I was writing it as compared to when I thought it up ._. )

Happy Thursday guys!


	68. Chapter 31: The Reunion

Chapter XXXI.

The Reunion

"Sir William Rotchford," Anaxagoras began, standing upon a large metal platform some ten feet above the ground. The large metal structure was placed within the main square of Lumina City, and thousands of the city's residence and refugees were gathered around. Upon the metal high-rise was Cypress, sitting comfortably with a contented smile on her face as Meno and Noah stood at her sides. Anaxagoras stood at the very head of the platform, as his twin brothers held the criminal by his arms, "You have been accused of crimes against the queen that are punishable by death. If you reconcile for your crimes…you will be shown mercy. If not…you will be sentenced to public execution. How say you?"

"I did everything as the will of _my master_, King Griffin Constantine, dictates," Sir Rotchford stated, fear in his voice, "And I only did as he commanded."

"You have only one master on _this _Atmos," Cypress began, rising from her throne, and walking towards him. The murmur of the crowd died instantly as they watched the dictator stride across the platform, "I will show you mercy…if you swear you allegiance to me."

"Never!" Sir Rotchford exclaimed, spitting in Cypress' face. The crowd gasped, as Anaxagoras handed her a handkerchief. She wiped her face and then smiled down at him.

"Read the charges," She commanded of Anaxagoras. His brothers held to Sir Rotchford tighter as one of Cypress' sentries, carrying a long bladed axe walked up the steps of the high-rise. She sat back down on her throne, crossed her legs, and waited for the show to begin.

"You have been charged with one count of malicious intent against the Queen's niece," Anaxagoras began, projecting his voice so the entire _city _could hear, "One count of intent on the destruction of the Queen's property, two counts on Attempted the murder of an Imperial Lieutenant, and _SIX _counts of attempted murder on Atmosian citizens. You are aware of these charges and refused to reconcile with the Queen, so you are sentenced to death by beheading. May the Gods have mercy on your soul…"

And without another word, Anaxagoras waved his hand and his brothers pushed Sir Rotchford down against the cold metal block. His neck rested in the grove of the slab, though, Sir Rotchford didn't seem afraid. Cypress then nodded to Anaxagoras, who nodded to the sentry. The malformed brute then clenched tightly to the axe, and raised it high above its head. The blade came soaring down towards the metal block. With one swift blow, the dark deed was done.

Most of the audience refused to watch as wives buried their faces in their husband's shoulders, and mothers covered their children's eyes. Cypress just sat back and smiled. Half of Lumina watched in fear as Anaxagoras lifted the head of Sir Rotchford off of the ground, and Cypress knew that through her grand institution of fear, the people of Atmos were now hers to control.

"Before you consider acting against the will of the Queen," Anaxagoras began, hoisting the head high above his own, "Consider this…this is the fate that you consign to creating your own laws!" He continued, as the city watched in silence.

Meanwhile, at the Twilight Knight's headquarters, the whole of the squadron (now returned from their escapades) and what comprised the resistance watched on a large monitor in the main hall. Anaxagoras calling out to the citizens flickered across the screen, and the others watched in anger and disappointment.

"I won't lie," Stork began, crossing his arms, "I think he got exactly what he deserved…but-"

"But he shouldn't have been used as a tool for instilling fear in her subjects," Advent began, "And while I do care about my sister's exploits, I have little care for her barbaric displays of dominance."

"Besides," Aerrow chimed in, " Now that everyone's back from the other terras, we've got work to do." he concluded, gesturing the group to break apart and resume their given instructions for the time being. The guardians, Advent, Nova, and Cresselia remained standing before the flickering monitor.

"So now that all of you have returned," Advent began, rather direly as she crossed her arms and looked over at them, "We have much to discuss. Part two of the Outreach campaign has been going well, but we've a lot more to accomplish."

"The Druids of Phusis are on board," Ace stated, "They're training with Jynx on Terra Anu with the remaining rabkin as we speak." He concluded. He, Cloud, and Carver had only returned to Lumina City a few days before Finn and his caravan had, so there was still much to discuss. After all, they had just arrived in the city several hours prior. Finn and the others had yet to tell the rest of their comrades all what had happened in Heissigaurt (though, they did have the very basic details).

"How did it go anyway?" Cresselia asked, walking up beside her future self, and addressing the newly returned group, "We need to know if the negotiations were a success so-"

"There weren't really any negotiations…" Finn began, ready to put it all behind him, as he scratched the back of his head.

"But," The Doctor chimed in, "There is no longer an active reigning monarch on the terra, and due to certain _events _that transpired, there is no one able to claim the throne."

"Cyclonis," Advent began, turning to her daughter, "You know quite a lot about political upheaval…how do you suggest we go about this?"

"You're asking me?" Cyclonis began, sounding confused. And she had every reason to be. Advent didn't _need_ political advice. She already knew what to do, which called into question why she happed to be asking Cyclonis. Nevertheless, she answered Advent, "It would be best if we set up a democracy as soon as possible. We should send a brigade to the terra, to establish proper communications to the mainland and defense. Also," She continued, feeling the pressure as the entire group listened, "We need someone to govern Heissigaurt. It should be someone who has political experience, but knows enough about the people and the customs, same as we did with Jynx on terra Anu."

"Cyclonis is right," Aerrow nodded, "If they've been trapped under a monarchy for all this time, then we're going to need to ease them into a new system of government."

"We don't have time for that," Cresselia interrupted, "We should send one of the Twilight Knight's lieutenants and establish a democracy now! If the people of the terra have a problem with it, then they can defect to the imperialists! I'll go there myself if that's what it takes-"

"No," Advent commanded, turning to her younger self, "If we go about this situation like _that_, what makes you any different than Cypress?"

"Simple," Cresselia responded with a smug smile as she turned to Advent, "I serve the Twilight Knights." Advent shot her a dark look. She had forgotten what a hothead she had been in her youth. But then again, it was her pride and her arrogance that had founded the Twilight Knights in the first place. Advent then turned back to the guardians.

"We'll send a liaison with a caravan to Heissigaurt," She then stated, sounding irritated, "And begin to establish a foothold there…Once Lady Divida has given birth, she'll be sent back to Heissigaurt and act as the liaison-"

"I agree with Cresselia," Ace then interrupted, "But only to an extent. Where as I don't think we need to send a brigade immediately, we can't wait for months until Lady Divida has her child."

"The war could potentially be over by then," Piper nodded in agreement, though a little overly enthusiastic, "We can already feel the Imperialist forces waning," She continued, turning to Advent.

"I doubt the war will be over in eight months," Stork replied, raising an eyebrow.

"But if we play our cards right," Cresselia began, "It could be over sooner than we think. So what say you? Are we going to stand around Lumina City, kicking our feet until Lady Divida's ready to travel."

"I suppose not…" Advent sighed, lowering her head slightly, "Alright…within the next week we will dispatch our forces to Heissigaurt…our main priority is this, who are we going to send to establish a government?"

"I suggest we send Aru," Nova chimed into the conversation as she leaned against a nearby wall, "She's got the best shot at success based on her track record. Besides, she'd be put to better use there."

"Nova!" Piper exclaimed, sounding slightly offended.

"Sorry," Nova shrugged (obviously not sorry), "But Aru is one of the most intelligent members of the Twilight Knights, and given that anyone else who could yield the same outcome are needed here or on the frontlines. All I was saying is that this would be a favorable task for her."

"Then it's settled," Advent concluded, turning to the others, "Nova, do your part in briefing Aru about her new directive," Nova nodded and without another word, she parted from the group and headed into the main hall, "…and Doctor," Advent called, just before Doctor Constantine was out of earshot, "I'd like you to educate Aru on the basics about the terra before she departs."

"As you wish," Doctor Constantine nodded. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she turned away from them and headed deeper into the main hall of the headquarters. For a moment, she was sure that Advent was going to send her back, but she must have been needed here more than she was there.

Admittedly, Finn was hoping that whatever Advent needed to talk to them about, that it would be quick. He yet needed to talk to the Doctor about what happened on Heissigaurt. Something still wasn't right. If everything had been explained by Griffin's death and the destruction of the bloodstone, then why did he still have so many questions left unanswered. What were the phantom figures lurking in the dungeon, and why did he seem to feel as though Heissigaurt was still unsafe? Perhaps this was just nervous tension. He had only been away from the terra for a few hours, and perhaps these feelings would resolve themselves. But he would have felt more comfortable, at the time, getting some reassurance from his aunt.

"As for the rest of you," Advent began, turning to the nine guardians and her younger counterpart, "I'd like you to come with me." She gestured, guiding them to follow her to some undisclosed portion of the headquarters. They followed her through the many old offices that used to be a part of the consulate until they reached a large wooden door amidst the many that lined the walls of the building.

Advent pushed the doors open into a large round office, piled with all of her salvaged books from the tempest and her personal library (which was surely in ruin, wherever it was). She walked to the center of the room, where the mysterious young boy had been sitting on the large wooden desk in the center of the cluttered office. He took one look at Advent and smiled. She smiled back at him and walked over to desk, where he immediately clung to Advent as of his life depended on it.

"Who's the kid?" Ace asked, a question that everyone had been pondering at that moment.

"Advent," Aerrow began, as he turned to Piper and Sora who looked equally confused at the boy's presence, "When did he even get here?"

"Whilst you, Piper, and Sora, along with the rest of the squadron," Advent began, "Was busy conducting the necessary tasks in order to keep the campaign flourishing, Cresselia and I have been out on our own missions." She concluded, as she lifted the boy off of the desk, "Our imperialist intelligence delivered us some disturbing news prior to the Red Palace Tournament. Tell me, have any of you ever heard of something called a Portis?"

"Actually yes," Sora then piped up after several minuets of silence. Everyone turned and started at the magenta-haired youth with confusion. Sora was still so young, how could she know about something none of them had even heard of? "It's a marker of sorts, that is to say, finding it is supposed to mark the coming of something…it's supposed that every world is said to have one, but you're not supposed to find it-"

"Wait!" Finn exclaimed, "_Every world_? What are you talking about Sora?" He continued. Everyone in the room was staring at Sora like she was crazy, and she suddenly felt herself scrambling.

"I-it's only a crazy idea though," Sora continued, with a slight smile as she tried covering her tracks, "The Symbologists believe in the Portis' existence, and that through the power of the sciences, it can be used to reach other worlds."

"Or more importantly," Advent then stated, sitting down on the edge of the desk as she sat the boy down next to her, "What lies at the end of the Far Side…" She stated darkly. The room fell silent once more.

"You think that there's more beyond Atmos other than the Far Side?" Aerrow asked, breaking the silence.

"That's not possible," Junko then chimed in, sounding scared, "The Far Side is supposed to be the end of Atmos…right?"

"No," Advent then continued, "And Sora is right…the Portis can be used to access other points beyond Atmos proper, and we have reason to believe Cypress has set out to find it."

"She's already got a gate to the Far Side," Aerrow then exclaimed, "And she may as well have control over Atmos. Are you telling us that she wants to conquer what may be _beyond _Atmos too!"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you," Advent then replied, with a blank and seemingly lethargic look on her face.

"How can you be so calm about this!" Cresselia exclaimed, "I know we think the war might be ending soon, but that doesn't mean we're going to be the victors! How do you expect us to tell the other knights that Cypress may be bringing in _more_ reinforcements from somewhere else!"

"Cresselia is right," Stork then added, "We can barely hold of the Nighcrawler corps, and the other Far Side forces. What if whatever is beyond the Far Side is even more powerful? We may as well just give up." He stated darkly.

"Don't any of you talk that way!" Cyclonis shouted, commanding the attention of everyone in the room, "We haven't come this far just to give up! Besides we don't even know if Cypress has it, or even knows how to use it!" Cyclonis continued, calming down slightly, "Does she?" She then asked after a few moments of silence as she turned to her mother.

"No," Advent then stated. The entire room breathed a sigh of relief, and they felt as though a weight had been lifted off their shoulders, "But she is searching for it…frantically. I thought for a moment it might have been what she used to open the rift to the Far Side during the battle for Atmosia…but based on the time flux that we fell through to get to this point, I'm assuming that rift was crudely constructed by herself or the dark god himself."

"But in any case," Sora then began, probably speaking more than she should have, "The rifts created by a Portis act as a paradigm for _all_ rifts, including the door to the far side. So given that logic, it's very well possible that she could have one, of a pseudo-paradigm in order to create them."

"…That's true," Advent then stated, taken aback by Sora's interjection, "Though…our intelligence states that Cypress is without it. Even if she could obtain it, I doubt she'd know how to use it…unless you happen to have _that _information as well Sora?" Advent asked, staring down the young lady. Sora said nothing, she merely shook her head, knowing once again, that she said too much.

"You still haven't told us," Cresselia then stated, "What's with the kid?"

"He may be the key to the Portis' use," Advent then stated, tussling his silvery white hair. He merely smiled up at her as she turned back to the group, "That being the case-"

"We have to protect that kid by any means necessary," Ace then stated. Advent merely replied with a nod.

"And in addition to that task," Advent stated, "It's imperative that we find the Portis before my sister does. But rather than compromising the integrity of the search, we won't be _inviting _anyone else along. This task needs to be completed and only discussed between only those present in this room. So, our objectives are clear. We need to set _our _efforts to locating the Portis, and keeping the child safe. The rest of the Twilight Knights can work towards the outreach campaign."

"Not that I'm against this," Aerrow stated, "But wouldn't it be best for a few of us to focus our efforts on establishing stronger footholds, building up our forces, and obtaining a stronger income of resources? After all-"

"We already have the carriers of the murk raiders," Advent then stated, rising to her feet, "Footholds in terra Anu, Rex, Amazonia, Saharr, Blizzaris, and soon Heissigaurt and Phusis. And true, our resources are scarce but after the Imperialist supply raid, we are well equipped enough to face Cypress should she choose to mount an attack on any of us or our allies. You may or may not choose to aid in the campaign, but your main objectives are clear…protect the boy, and find the Portis. These tasks take priority above all else…You are dismissed." She stated, exiting the office. A look of fear struck the boy's face as he watched Advent leave. He leapt down off of the desk and chased after her, clutching tightly to her hand as he caught up with the Valkyrie. Sora immediately took off after both of them as well.

She didn't feel comfortable with the rest of them, and she knew they were going to be talking about Advent and her plans. Though, her departure from the group made her look even more suspicious. The rest of the group exchanged looks, before Ace finally spoke, shattering the silence.

"I don't like this," Ace then stated, turning to the rest of the group, "Advent's keeping something from us."

"As usual," Cloud added, finally speaking up, "But why wouldn't she want us to participate in the campaign? We've been working on it for months now, and we've made so much progress-"

"I think it has to do with the severity of the situation," Cresselia then interrupted, "If this Portis thing is as dangerous as she's made it out to be…then it's worth looking into."

"Do you know about anything Advent might be trying to hide from us?" Aerrow then asked, turning to her.

"I'm left in the dark just as much as you are," Cresselia sighed, looking down at the ground and shaking her head, "I mean…we're the same person, and I still don't know what's going on in that head of hers half the time."

"Then I suppose there's nothing else we can do," Piper then began after more silence, "We'll just have to keep doing as Advent says."

"Indeed," Cresselia replied, nodding her head, "I suggest we prepare. I'm assuming we're going to the wastelands tomorrow, you know, to search for the Portis." Cresselia sighed, leaving the office. However, just before she left the room, she turned back around to face them, "Oh and by the way…after the supply raid, we recovered a lot of weapons from the armory…I think some of them belong to you…" She concluded, leaving the office.

"That's right!" Aerrow then exclaimed, turning to Finn, Cyclonis, Junko, and Stork (who actually didn't really have a weapon), "We got our old weapons back. They're sitting in the bunker below HQ."

"Well that's some good news at least," Finn stated with a slight smile.

* * *

Later that evening, Ace sat in his room within the headquarters. His bed sat, empty on the opposite side of the room, as he sat upon an old couch (most likely original to the consulate building) with his legs up on the floor, and sitting sideways, resting his hands on his raised knee. He stared down at his folded hands in deep thought as he looked outside of the many towering windows in his room. The sky was a deep blue and was littered with stars, though that was often what the sky looked like in Lumina City. Still, it was late. He thought about getting some sleep, but he had so much on his mind that he thought sleeping would be pointless.

"Dearest Uncle," a playful voice giggled, "What are you staring at? Lost in that raging tempest known as your mind?" She continued. Ace let out a long and irritated sigh as he turned his head to look at her.

Farrah was sitting on the edge of his bed, resting her head in her hands and her elbows on her knees. Something was off about her though, it looked as if she had nearly doubled in age. And it was true that Ace hadn't seen her in a month or so, it was still odd that she would age from six to twelve.

"That's a shame," He then stated, turning back to his hands, "I thought I was rid of you for sure…"

"Don't be so cruel!" Farrah snapped, "I'm just checking in…to see how you're doing…How was your adventure on terra Phusis?"

"I'm sure you know damn well," Ace replied, not bothering to look at her. Farrah sneered, and rose up from the bed. In addition to her age, she seemed less ghostly, and less transparent. And just for a brief moment she looked tangible.

"I'm sure that you're formulating some sort of plan in that hungry little brain of yours," Farrah sighed as she danced about the room, "Care to share?"

"You said back when we first met that Sora wasn't of this Atmos," Ace then began, narrowing his gaze, but still staring into space, "If that's the case then what Atmos is she from?"

"It may be that she's not from an Atmos at all," Farrah stated, crossing her legs as she sat back down on the bed, "But I don't know-"

"Cut the crap Farrah…" Ace then hissed, rising to his feet, "You know damn well what's going on."

"And you shouldn't ask questions you already know the answer to!" Farrah shouted, turning on Ace with a wild flare in her eyes. Though she stepped back, giggled slightly, continuing to flit about the room. Ace scowled at her. Farrah had so many of the same traits as her mother. Her mood was sporadic and at times it seemed like she was just toying with Ace's mind, typical attitudes she inherited from Cypress, "You know, it's not polite to do that."

"But I don't know the answer," Ace then stated, sitting back down on the couch lazily, "Why don't you just tell me…"

"Because," Farrah smiled, looking back at him from over her shoulder, "You _do_ know the answer. The truth about Sora, the Portis, Advent, my mother, and the Far side. You just don't want to recognize those truths, because if you do your world and your mind will fall to pieces."

Ace said nothing as Farrah disappeared in a matter of seconds. He stood up and turned to the window, looking out into the dark skies. He attempted to process Farrah's message, but it still didn't make much sense to him. He had hoped that she would be more of a help, rather than just giving him a warning, but then again, Farrah's never been particularly helpful to him.

* * *

**[Message from KC]: **Hey guys! So I've decided that every Saturday is going to be RoT update night :P (it's also every Toonami night, as of today :D) but anyway! So I have actually re-enabled unsigned reviews, and they will remain enabled unless everyone abides by the fair reviewing policy :3 I will admit I would rather receive signed reviews, but I know a fair deal of you don't have accounts. Anyway! We're nearing the end of volume II. I haven't decided yet what is going to happen as far as an addition volume after III, but III is going to happen for sure :3 We also only have 9 more chapters to go (and the epilogue but whatever!) Anyway, so expect another chapter on Saturday (or earlier), at least before the night is out.

R&R as always, I always appreciate them :3

Happy Saturday Everypony!


	69. Chapter 32: Payback

Chapter XXXII.

Payback

"The time has come," Cypress exclaimed, standing on a platform outside, in a large airfield. There were blocks of Nightcrawlers standing in orderly ranks by the thousands. Ranks and files of the much larger, sentry crawlers stood in the front of the army, each armed to the teeth with varying crystal weaponry and the latest in Far Side technology. It appeared as though Cypress had pooled all her gathered reinforcements from the Far Side and gathered them in the airfield adjacent to her grand citadel, formerly Atmosia.

There were other creatures amidst the fold as well. Even larger than the Sentries, were large fleshy beasts that stood over fifteen feet tall, with massive, club-like arms that hung to the ground. Like its counterparts from the realm beyond, their bodies were a charred and inky black. They were outfitted with thick black armor plates made of obsidian, and they had a similar life-support system, identical to the ones outfitted by the nightcrawlers and sentries.

There were other, non-humanoid creatures amongst the army. Several hundreds of the night crawlers were holding the thick chain leashes of oily, black, skinless dogs with stringy white manes, and blood crazed red eyes. These animals were often seen at Cypress' side, though they were much more tame when they were in her presence. This was not the case on this day. In addition, several dozen sentries stood around each of the fifty or so iron cages, housing growling, drooling Kor-Hounds, each of their two heads spouting fire. And lastly, flying creatures sat perched in an orderly fashion around the airfield and whatever surface they could find. They were tall and lithe with the bodies of a man, thin membranous wings like a bat, but the head of a pterosaur. Their skin was a cold and shallow green, and their veins could be seen pulsating with the same electric glow as their eyes. Down their spines were sharp greenish crystals protruding from their backs that began at the neck, and continued down to their tailbones.

Cypress smiled as she looked at her impressive collection of forces as she crossed her arms and walked up to the front of the platform, overlooking the airfield. She leaned against the metal railing with her lieutenants following after her. Dar'Khan stood in the shadows behind, staring off in the distance with wide green eyes. He was nothing but a cold and shallow soul of the once powerful deity he used to be. He stared longingly at the amulet around Anaxagoras' neck, and the reliquary hanging at Cypress' side. He so desired to hold them once again, but as it would seem, Cypress had now replaced him as the God of Darkness.

"We must press on," Cypress then called out to hear army, as they responded to her with cheers and howls, "It's high time that the hour of Twilight finally ends, and we bring in the new era of the Imperial Regime!" She outstretched her hand to Anaxagoras. He knew what she wanted. He bit his lip as he wrapped his hands around the amulet's pendant. After a moment, he removed the relic of power from around his neck and handed it to her.

She smiled as she shattered the glass finding, keeping the smooth and glowing green stone in place. She then took the freed gem in her hands. The black pupil in the center of the stone stared back at her, but without another though, she took the reliquary and pressed the stone into a concave socket near the top of the artifact. In a slight flash of green, the eye-like stone fused to the blackened item. She then began to laugh wickedly as the stone changed from a bright green to a cold and icy blue, and the thin haze that floated in the expanse of the reliquary turned to blue as well.

A clod shock pulsed through the air, as the dark army grew silent. A thin frost coated their arms and legs, and left a faint coating across their bodies. Their red and green eyes froze to blue, and the crystals protruding from their bodies changed in color as well.

"Today," Cypress began, addressing her new army. They were silent, and she knew now that she had complete control over them, more so than before, "We march through the streets of Lumina City! The Terra City shall be a neutrality no longer. They assimilate with the empire…or die! The Twilight Knights have stolen valuable resources from the Empire, diminished our colonies, and taken our footholds, with the help of Matteo Nabokov and the rest of his petty resistance! Those rats have been using Lumina City as their security blanket. Well no longer! It's time we flush them out, and put an end to this war." She concluded, as her army howled, rallying themselves for war.

"Repton!" She demanded, turning around as the Raptor strode up to her, "Take the army to Lumina City…and flatten anyone or anything that gets in your way. Anaximenes, Anaximander, and Noah will oversee you."

"Yesss Massster Cypresss," He hissed, bowing to her slightly. Repton cared little for Cypress and her endeavors, but he was so much like a wild animal, only acting on what will benefit him in the moment. For him, choosing to join Cypress was for his benefit, not caring whether it would be his downfall or not.

"Follow Commanders Repton, Noah, Anaximenes, and Anaximander," Cypress commanded her army as they simultaneously saluted her, "Obey their every orders, and see to it that Lumina City belongs to the Empire!" She rallied just before turning away from her soldiers. She then turned to the four commanders, "Take one of my battle cruisers. I suspect that the Twilight Knights will call on the aid of Scabulous and the Blood Crow…a formidable adversary."

"Yes your highness," Anaximenes and Anaximander replied, bowing to her before she summoned their brother and Meno to follow her into the citadel.

"I should be accompanying them!" Anaxagoras snapped, still slightly miffed by the loss of his precious amulet, "If anything! I should be the one to lead the attack!"

"I need you two to come with me," Cypress snapped, not bothering to look back at him, "I have a task for the two of you."

"We will do anything you require of us Master," Meno responded promptly as Anaxagoras shot her a filthy look, "There isn't a task you could give me that I wouldn't complete for you." He gave Meno another sharp look. What was her angle? What did she want from Cypress? Or perhaps Anaxagoras merely felt threatened by the fact that he may no longer be Cypress' pet.

"The tides are shifting in this war," Cypress continued, "The Twilight Knights give my subjects hope…hope that the Atmos they once knew will be restored. We must extinguish this hope. And I do not expect the knights to be defeated on Lumina City so easily. For now…we need to travel to Larkenus."

"I thought that Larkenus was finally leveled into one collective graveyard," Meno asked, sounding confused.

"Yes," Cypress replied with a slight, yet unsettling laugh.

"Then why would we need to go?" Anaxagoras asked, crossing his arms.

"Well," Cypress sighed, turning around to face them as they approached three skimmers sitting within the hangar behind the airfield, "As I told you…with the army we have…I don't expect to take Lumina City so easily." She continued with a chillingly calm smile across her face, "We're going to Larkenus to gather some more reinforcements…"

* * *

"Alright," Nova began, as a group of former Sky Knights and original Twilight Knights gathered around a large map of Atmos, laid out on a huge circular table, "Thanks to the efforts of the guardians, we've established bases here on Phusis…and here in Heissigaurt. Jynx and the rest of the Druids returned to their terra a few hours ago, and Aru and her caravan have been in Heissigaurt for almost a day. According to her transmissions, she's and her team have done quite the job."

"Unfortunately," Cyrus then began, looking from the map to the faces of the Sky Knights, "Most of your home terras have fallen to Imperial control…but we do have control of Terras Anu, Blizzaris, Saharr, and Gale. Technically speaking Lumina City is under our control as well, but seeing as how it's a neutral territory."

"But!" Nova continued, guiding their attention back towards the map, "We have control of terra Deep through captain Scabulous. Cypress wouldn't dare search for forces within the mountain ranges of deep. It's too difficult to navigate and there are too many places where we can mount an ambush. Also…we have standings in Matteo and Zelkovitz' home terra of Aiaiti along with the Trolls of Lian'Ge. Unfortunately we've held off in establishing a base on either of these terras, given that they are apart of the Dol Donnis isles, they're still technically under Cypress' control. Though, they are allied with us.

"So wait," Suzy-Lu asked, leaning over the side of the table, "What's with all them red marked terras?"

Upon the map were four bright red 'X's drawn across four terras on the map. Terra Merb, Wallop, Bogaton, and Cyclonia were marked. Nova let out a long sigh as she turned back to the group of Sky Knights.

"Those are the terras that have been culled," Cyrus then spoke up, "Or in the case of Cyclonia they no longer exist." The room then fell silent for a moment.

"In theory," Nova then spoke up, "It would be favorable to reestablish a foothold in any of these terras…but out of respect for the endangered races within the Twilight Knights, we'd rather not have to put them through the emotional trauma of having to travel back to their destroyed homes." Nova explained, "But we have more important matters to attend to. Though the empire has control of these terras, their loyalty to Cypress is questionable. We need to-"

"Commander Nova!" a boy called, possibly a resistance member, given his age. She looked up at him as the rest of the group turned, "Come outside! Quickly!"

"What is it grunt!" Cyrus demanded, placing her hands on her hips. But before the boy could answer, the ground beneath them began to rumble.

"What was that?" Nova demanded, as the room fell silent and the earth stopped moving below them.

"Twilight Knightssss!" Repton's voice boomed throughout the air, "Your queen demands your pressssence!"

"Our queen!" Aida scoffed as Nova directed them all to follow her outside to the front of their headquarters. The organization quickly hurried to the front steps of the former consulate building.

The whole of Advent's organization stood with wide eyes as they watched the scene before them. One of the empire's hefty black battle cruisers was poking its ugly face over the horizon of Lumina City. Her dark armies paraded through the streets as the citizens watched in fear, clinging to the walls of nearby buildings and veering as far as possible from the soldiers.

"What fresh hell is this?" Cyrus asked angrily, stepping out in front of Nova.

"We have an armistice on this terra," Nova called, in a voice louder than thunder. The others threw their hands over their ears as Nova's voice rang through the blackened sky. Snow was coming, and they wanted to be prepared, "Explain yourselves."

With her lone command, a hatch upon the battle cruiser lowered, barely touching the ground. They noted four distinguished figures stepping down off of the metal and on to the ground of Lumina City. The hatch closed behind them, and the sea of soldiers parted as Anaximander lead his brother, Noah, and Repton to the Twilight Headquarters.

"Lumina City," Anaximander began after several long moments of silence, in a cold, flat and stoic voice, staring down the rebels with watery blue eyes, "Is no longer your safe haven."

"Queen Cypress Dawnrunner refuses to let crimes committed against the empire solely because those charged reside on a neutral terra," Noah stated flatly, "Either surrender and return with us to New Atmosia…"

"Or?" Nova commanded.

"Or die!" Repton shouted, his boomerang in hand.

Nova remained silent. In the blink of an eye, she pulled one of the guns from her holster, pointed into the ranks of nightcrawlers and pulled the trigger. A bolt of pale blue, almost white light flew from the barrel and resolved into a swelling explosion which threw the ranks of soldiers through the streets. The citizens of Lumina screamed out in panic and hurried into whatever shelter they could find.

"Are you insane!" Cyrus hissed into Nova's ear, "Do you want a repeat of the _Battle for Atmosia_!"

"It appears as though your decision has been made," Anaximander stated with a blank expression. The rest of the Twilight Knights gripped tightly to their weapons and stood in silence, each one holding their breath. Anaximander then turned to the rest of Cypress' lieutenants and nodded. A dark, twisted, and toothy grin appeared on Repton's face as he began to cackle and laugh.

"ATTACK!" He commanded, pointing towards the Twilight Knights, as the warriors of the empire rushed towards the rebels, each one dashing past Repton, a dark blur in the streets of the city. Without another thought, the vastly outnumbered rebels of the Twilight Knights and the resistance rushed into the fray. Flashes of deep red and white blue lit up the darkened skies.

"Damn it Nova!" Cyrus screamed, clutching to her Zanbato as she sliced through one of the several nightcrawlers attacking her, "Why would you do something so damn stupid without consulting Advent!"

"Because Advent's not here!" Nova exclaimed, firing in every random direction possible, nightcrawlers dropping like flies, "She took the guardians and Cresselia and took off…I have no idea where she is!"

"Damn that woman!" Cyrus shouted, pushing one of the creatures off of her, "I swear she'll be the death of us all!"

"You're not kidding!" Nova shouted back.

* * *

"Cypress' forces have invaded Lumina City," Advent stated, closing her communicator and turning to the nine guardians, Cresselia at her side.

"WHA-" Aerrow exclaimed, stepping out before the group, "Then what are we doing here!"

"We've got something important to accomplish here," Advent stated, looking at her surroundings. The entire group was standing amidst the wastelands, which were even more cold and barren than before.

"We should head back to the city and join the fight," Ace added, looking around the barren expanse with disgust, "Our friends could be dying out there….I see no purpose in-"

"Cypress wants petty revenge," Advent exclaimed, silencing everyone, "Payback, for taking back what was rightfully ours from her. She wants to punish us…for our refusal to assimilate…and for our outright defiance. But she won't be a part of that battle. If we were to return to Lumina, the attack would just be fulfilling its purpose."

"What would that be?" Cyclonis asked, skeptic of her mother's motives.

"It's a distraction…" Advent stated angrily, staring off into the distance, "They may claim Lumina City in the fight for her empire…but she thinks that we'll return in haste to save the others-"

"Well we should!" Piper cried out, "We've seen Cypress' armies first hand! We don't have the numbers!"

"Or the manpower," Stork added dismally, "The empire will take the city in a matter of hours."

"Exactly," Advent stated darkly, "Meaning it would be pointless to return. Our endeavors up to this point will have been completely useless if any of us present were killed or taken as POWs."

"Then what are we doing here?" Aerrow commanded.

"Yes…" A cold voice called. Even without seeing, they already knew who it was. Cypress was standing on the opposite side of the way, two of her dark hounds at her sides. Anaxagoras and Meno followed after, "So sister…what are you doing here?" She asked contemptuously.

"You know damn well," Advent called from across the way, "I've come to return the boy to where he belongs…" She continued as the child stepped out from behind her robes. Cypress let out a dark growl as she looked up him, and he began to cry, burying his face in Advent's robes.

"No…" Cypress replied, "The boy belongs to me! You had no right to disturb him from his place of resting…"

"You wondered why Jevanni banished you for having a child?" Advent asked with a dark smirk as she crossed her arms, "I can't think of anyone _less _fit to be a mother than you, sister."

"You watch that clever mouth of yours sister!" Cypress shouted, her red eyes flaring with hatred. The guardians, and even Cresselia knew that she was egging Cypress on, but why?

"You left your daughter, defenseless, and fed to the wolves," Advent hissed, "And you locked away your son like an animal-"

"SHUT UP!" Cypress cried.

"Master!" Meno exclaimed, rushing to her side. But Cypress threw her hand across Meno's face, knocking her away.

"Don't touch me!" Cypress hissed, looking crazed as she turned to her younger sister. Meno backed away from her master, watching as her hidden insanity reared its ugly head back into her life.

"You locked your son away in the wastelands," Advent stated, putting her arms around the boy as if he was _her _son, "You spent so much time making sure that no one would find him, and that no one would use the portis that you forgot he even existed! You never cared about your own kin until I wanted to save him…you're disgusting sister…you disgrace the name of the Valkyrie, you're a pitiful excuse for a mother, and you're a failure as an Empress."

"Then why is my empire still standing?" Cypress shouted, charging towards her sister.

* * *

[Message from KC]: Hey :3 not much to say this time around. It's getting to be the end of volume II (finally!) and I'll have news for the future of RoT for you guys soon. As I promised, it's Saturday and I've updated :D #RegimentSaturdays woohoo!

-Happy Saturday everypony!


	70. Chapter 33: The Door

Chapter XXXIII.

The Door

"Give him to me!" Cypress screeched as sparks flew from the metal blade of her rapier, as it grinded against the blade of Advent's. She forced her blade forward, knocking Cypress backwards. Her crimson eyes flared as she pulled herself up off of the ground. The young boy clung to Cyclonis, as she was the closest in resemblance to Advent.

"This kid…is Cypress's son!" Cresselia exclaimed, looking down at the small, crying child, clinging to her future daughter.

"Yes!" Cypress exclaimed, turning to Cresselia. There was fury, fear, and desperation flickering in her eyes, as she outstretched her pale hand towards the boy, "Cain…come to mother…" She began sweetly, kneeling down to his level.

"No!" Aerrow shouted, moving to Advent's side and standing in front of the boy. Cypress hissed as she took a tighter hold of her rapier and rose to her feet. Anaxagoras and Meno rushed to her side, and the others reached for their weapons, feeling that they were on the cusp of battle.

"This is foolish…" Cypress then stated after several tense moments, sheathing her blade. Meno and Anaxagoras turned to their master, both with confused looks, "Shall we agree to a trade?"

"Absolutely not," Advent replied, not backing down.

"Listen to me sister," Cypress replied, narrowing her gaze, "I will call off the attack on Lumina City, spare your soldiers, and remove all charges against my empire…" Cypress pleaded, "All you have to do is return my son to his resting place…"

"No!" Advent hissed, "You just want him safely tucked away so you can use and abuse him for your own gain once you find the portis!"

"Sister!" Cypress then shouted, "You don't understand! This is beyond that-"

"Silence!" Advent replied. The guardians looked over their leader with a slight twinge of fear. Something had just emerged from Advent they had never seen before. It was dark and angry, and to the contrary, Cypress didn't seem all herself either, "We are going to end this now sister…just the two of us!" Advent growled as the crystal embedded in the hilt of her blade sparked a pale blue, which then filled the dark wasteland arena with a bright blue light. When the aura dissipated, Advent and Cypress were surrounded by a transparent, pale blue field. Aerrow and Ace rushed to the wall of light, but were thrown back immediately.

"Mommy!" The little boy exclaimed, seemingly running towards Advent.

"Shh!" Cyclonis exclaimed, lifting the boy off of the ground and holding tightly to him, "It's alright…" she reassured, even though it wasn't.

"That's it!" Anaxagoras growled, holding tightly to his broadsword, "I'm not going to sit by and watch my beautiful master be slaughtered. Come Meno! We're taking her son back!" Meno didn't say anything in response, she just glared at him, as her hands began to glow faintly, morphing her nails into long dark claws.

"I'd like to see you try," Aerrow snapped, holding his twin blades at the ready as he stood before the rest of the guardians.

"You want him so bad," Piper added, holding out her staff, as the others joined him, "Come and get him…"

"Not like you stand a chance anyway," Cresselia stated, unsheathing a rapier that was similar to Advent and Cypress'.

"That's where you're wrong," Anaxagoras smiled. Several figures started to emerge from the thick sulfurous haze of the wastelands behind them. It was hard to distinguish what was limping towards them, that is, distinguishing if they were human or not. Their faces peered from the fog and it was clear what this new army consisted of. Their eyes were hollow, with a faint and glowing green light drifting in their sunken faces. They were people, or rather, the empty and withered husks of what a person leaves behind once they've died. They had seemingly raised another troupe of the undead, as Cypress had done before, during one of their first encounters. Though, their numbers must have ranked in the thousands.

"We're so screwed…" Stork began, breaking the silence between both parties.

"I'm not backing down!" Aerrow then exclaimed, "And I'm not afraid! We're the guardians of Atmos and we'll fight everything you throw at us until Atmos is safe!"

"Bold words for someone who is about to die," Anaxagoras laughed, "But if you're so hell-bent on saving this pathetic little world, then so be it." He said nothing beyond that. He threw his hand forwards, pointing towards the guardians and began to laugh. The horde of mindless husks behind him rushed towards the group and quickly enveloped them in a mindless fray.

"Cyclonis!" Cresselia exclaimed, standing back to back with Aerrow as the creatures moved inwards, "Keep the boy safe!"

"Kind of hard to do at the moment…" She growled, sending bolts of violet energy from her trusted staff, through the air, knocking down dozens of the undead before they could reach her. The boy let out a small cry as he clung to her, throwing off her balance.

_Damn it!_ She thought, _This kid is going to be the death of us!_ She continued, grinding her teeth as she missed her last shot. The husks moved in closer and closer to her, looking her down with shriveled faces and cold green eyes.

"I've got your back!" She heard Sora shout as the ground below the undead began to glow a soft magenta color. In an instant, the ground then exploded with a massive flash of dark magenta, throwing the surrounding husks through the air, and sending them back down to the ground. Their eyes ceased glowing, and their bodies refused to stay animate.

"Thanks Sora!" Cyclonis called back. Sora's symbologist gloves were radiating with the same magenta glow as the crystals she was clutching in each of her hands.

Meanwhile, the other had their hands just as full with the oncoming horde. Ace was trapped in combat with Meno, as she began tearing at the sleeves of his uniform, but couldn't manage to get much closer than that. Now that he had his double bladed sword back in his possession, Ace was a force to be reckoned with. Though, Meno's shape shifting, and ability to manipulate her physical form was proving to be troublesome as well. She was able to make her body more lithe, and it almost seemed as though she was snakelike, for she was able to slither just shy of Ace's strikes.

"You won't win this one Anteres!" Meno exclaimed as her dagger-like nails ground against the seething, glowing blades of Ace's sword, "Lay down your arms!"

"Never!" He shouted, knocking her back down to the ground.

"You twilight knights are all so damn stubborn!" Meno hissed, jumping back to her feet.

Across the way, Cresselia and Aerrow were pitting themselves against Anaxagoras. It seemed as though it would have been an easy fight, considering that both knights were so gifted in combat. Though, something was off about Cypress' lieutenant. He seemed stronger, as though having the amulet taken away from him revamped his powers. He was able to split himself into four dark and shadowy copies of himself, two of them fighting against both Aerrow and Cresselia. Aerrow plunged the end of one of his twin blades into the torso of the copies, and it vanished in a black haze, but as soon as it was destroyed, another sprung up from the shadows around them.

"I can't shake them!" Cresselia exclaimed, slashing through the bodies of the doppelgangers.

"Just keep fighting!" Aerrow shouted, "He's bound to run out of power at some point!" Though, it didn't seem as though Anaxagoras was going to yield, and Aerrow and Cresselia were getting more exhausted with each shadowy combatant they bested.

The pair then heard a sharp scream as the four doppelgangers faded back into the shadows. Anaxagoras rolled out of the darkness and back into the plane of reality, clutching his hand and cringing at the small throwing knife embedded in his skin. There was a black, tarry substance coating the end of the blade and it seemed to be making the skin around his wound turn a sickly green color. Stork rolled out of the shadows behind him, and Anaxagoras turned on the Merb.

"I'll not be defeated by a cowardly little worm like you again!" He shouted, reaching for his broadsword with his free hand. But before he could unsheathe it, Stork rushed towards him, throwing another small, black tipped, knife down at his freed hand. The blade pierced his kin and Anaxagoras let out another howl of anger and pain, "I'll KILL YOU!" He hissed, pulling the knives from his hands.

"Stork!" Aerrow shouted, moving to his friend.

"Go," He replied quietly, as two more throwing knives slid down from the sleeves of his uniform and into his hands.

"Come on," Cresselia exclaimed, seizing Aerrow by the arm, "We've got to help Advent and save the kid!"

"Right," Aerrow nodded, as they headed towards the wall of light. He didn't want to leave Stork to fend for himself, although, it seemed as though he was fairing better against Anaxagoras than they had been.

"You can't beat me!" Anaxagoras laughed, looking crazed. His hands were beginning to burn from the tarry substance on Stork's knives seeping into his skin, and he could no longer move them.

"Think again," Stork replied, raising an eyebrow, "I can run through the shadows too…part of my powers as the rouge. So I'm really not afraid of you…your brothers and Cypress, I'm afraid of…but not you. And that poison-"

"Poison!" Anaxagoras hissed, feeling the numbness of his hands migrate to his wrists, "What have you done to me Merb!"

"It's a paralytic agent," Stork replied darkly, "It's in your bloodstream now…so unless you amputate…and sooner rather than later, you'll be a vegetable forever."

"Bastard!" Anaxagoras growled, unable to use his arms below his elbows. Stork couldn't help but laugh as Anaxagoras' appendages hung limply at his side, "Meno!" He shouted, commanding the woman's attention, though she was too busy with her own fight to bother with him.

Meanwhile, Aerrow and Cresselia rushed to the wall of light. They took their blades in hand and began slashing at the glowing barrier. Though it was no use. Advent didn't want anyone interrupting her battle, be it allies or otherwise. Though, both devoted knights continued to drive into the force-field.

Advent ignored them, as her focus was locked on her sister. Both women had stripped their lavish robes and were now in their contrasting fighter uniforms. Their rapiers clashed together, sending sparks into the air around them. Their blades collided and ground together, spewing sparks that flickered in their eyes. Advent pushed her sister to the ground, and dug her foot into Cypress' chest.

"Forgive me sister…" Advent began, pointing the sharp end of her blade in Cypress' face, "But this needs to end…"

"Advent no…" Cypress laughed, "You can't kill me…You forget that you can't exist without me…"

"Like hell I can't!" Advent shouted, raising her blade above her head, ready to plunge the rapier through Cypress' body. The entire scene froze as the Guardians and the Lieutenants froze, holding their breath as time seemingly stopped.

Advent plunged the blade towards her, though before she could slice through her sister, Cypress took hold of her reliquary. She held it up towards her sister, and a bright green light burst fourth from the relic. It flung Advent through the air, and sent her crashing to the ground, the jagged surface of the wastelands slicing through her skin and tearing up her uniform. The wave also dissolved the wall that she had put up between them, and Aerrow and Cresselia rushed towards Advent, lifting her up by the arms.

But the battleground remained silent. Cypress was standing in front of the dark gate to the far side. It towered over the scene as the gate threatened to open itself to the world. Cypress breathed heavily, holding the reliquary at her side. She turned to the gate, clutching the relic in her hand.

"Cypress NO!" Advent exclaimed, holding her hand out in front of her, "Don't! You know the repercussions! You can't just travel through the gate whenever you please! Only the Gods know what will happen if-"

"Silence!" Cypress screamed, holding the reliquary above her head, "I will not be defeated! Not yet! There's still so much promise left for this world! Let me reshape it sister! Let me make this world of our what the Gods has intended it to be!"

"You're insane!" Aerrow exclaimed.

"No…" Cypress laughed, turning to the door, "I am the future of Atmos!" She shouted, holding the reliquary up to the gate. The item gave off a pale glow and they all watched and waited, their hearts pounding as they waited for all hell to burst fourth from the door. But it did not.

Cypress let out an angry growl as she looked down at the reliquary. She shook the item as if that might work, but to no avail. The door merely stood, unmoving and inactivated. They all breathed a slight sigh of relief as they looked on to the horrified faces of Anaxagoras and Meno, who knew that they had lost. The guardians began to smile and some began to laugh with relief.

"NO!" Cypress wailed, falling to he knees, "NO! Please!" She shouted, rushing to the gate, and trying to pry it open with her bare hands.

"That's so sad…" Piper whispered, lifting Junko off of the ground. Her power over the withered husks had dissipated, and her army of the undead was reduced to nothing but a gross pile of shriveled remains.

"It's over sister…" Advent sighed, returning to her calm and collected demeanor, "You've lost this war…"

"No…" Cypress stated, sounding as though she was sobbing. Advent placed a hand on her sister's shoulder to comfort her, and Cypress touched her hand. Advent gave her a weak smile, "I haven't lost this war…" Cypress then hissed.

She took a hold of her rapier that was laying on the ground beside her. She thrust the blade towards Advent. It plunged through her torso, and punctured up through her shoulder blades. Advent stood in shock, just before she stumbled backwards. The air was silent. No one was sure what had just happened.

Advent coughed as a small spatter of blood came flying from her mouth and dripped down her uniform. She pulled the blade from her body and threw it to the ground, clutching her gaping wound with her free hand. Advent fell to her knees, and she looked over to her sister who was rising to her feet. Cypress then began laughing, a crazed and deranged look in her eye.

"Sorry sister," Cypress laughed, "But I can't have you ruining my plans any longer…This is your end-" She taunted, but before she could continue, the gate flung open.

Cypress turned to it, horror in her eyes. There was nothing inside, the gate just opened into bleak darkness. Several hundred pairs of bloodshot, red eyes opened within the darkness, and they gazed upon her. Sora let out a scream as her eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she fell to the ground. The other rushed to her aid, but kept their eyes fixated on the sight before them. Cypress opened her mouth as though she was bout to scream, but before the sound could escape her throat, several dozen black tethers flew fourth from the void and pulled her into the blackness. The gate then sealed shut and faded back to the realm where it belonged.

"Master!" Anaxagoras cried out, moving towards the gate, only to be pulled away by Meno.

"We've no time for this!" She exclaimed, "Master Cypress will find her way back to us!" She continued, dragging him by the arms as they ran from the scene.

Where the gate had just been, Dar'Khan now stood. The former god was now just a tall, shallow, and lanky hollow of the deity he had once been. It was like they were staring into the dark face of a skeleton, with two bright glowing green eyes sitting in deep eye sockets. He was shrouded in darkness, so the rest of his features were nearly impossible to distinguish.

Advent looked to him, still clutching her wound as she coughed up a pool of blood on to the ground before her. The fallen god walked past Advent as though she was nothing. He strode past the guardians and moved to Cresselia, who held the boy at her side. The dark face of the god looked down at the young Valkyrie, as though he was speaking to her. Cresselia looked up at him as if she understood what he was saying.

"No…" Cresselia shouted, taking a step towards him, "Let me help her…I have the power to-" But she stopped herself. She knew what he was commanding her to do, and she had no choice in the matter.

"Alright," Cresselia cried, lifting the boy off of the ground, "I understand…Send us back."

"What are you talking about!" Finn exclaimed in fear and confusion, "Where are you going! We need you!"

"Cresselia," Aerrow began, walking towards her, "What's going on?" He asked of her as a dark violet vortex appeared behind the pair.

"I have to back to the past," Cresselia laughed, looking down at the ground as she wiped a tear from her eye, "I have to grow up…to be Advent someday…and I have to make sure that Cain grows up in safety from his mother…" She began, as the young boy clutched tightly to Cresselia as she stepped through the portal. Before she stepped through completely, she turned back to face the group and smiled, "I'll…I'll see you all soon…" She stated before the portal disappeared.

"Mother!" Cyclonis then shouted, rushing to Advent's side as she laid down on the ground, what little color she had in her skin, fading.

"Cresselia…" Advent wheezed, still gripping her wounds as she lay face down in the dirt. The others gathered around her, wondering why Advent's wounds weren't healing, "Needed to return to the past…to save Cain…She and I could not dwell on the same plane for much longer…lest…we all…watch time collapse in…on itself."

"We've got to get her back to Lumina!" Ace exclaimed to the rest of the group, "She won't make it if-"

"Anteres," Advent smiled as Cyclonis and Piper propped her up, "Only a Valkyrie can do any harm to a Valkyrie…Cypress has succeeded in besting me…and I won't make…it…" She coughed.

"Advent," Aerrow began, gripping her hands, "Don't talk like that! We'll take you back and Nova…Nova! Yeah she'll be able to help you-"

"No," Advent smiled up at him, "Aerrow you need to accept that I am not much longer for this world…I accepted it a long time ago…and I have been waiting for this day for centuries…" She continued, looking over to the space where the portal had been, "And everything went exactly as I remembered it."

"Mom…" Cyclonis began, tears in her eyes.

"Listen to me…" Advent coughed, "All of you…Cypress will return…she is almost unstoppable with the reliquary in her possession. You must destroy it…call on the power…of the triad once more…and end this war…" She continued, her grip loosening, "Before…I am gone…one more thing…there is a sealed document that I have left in a chest within the old Atmosian Consulate building…in…my office…it's imperative that you find it…" She wheezed as her eyes glossed over and her body went limp.

"S-she's gone…" Aerrow began, breaking the long and agonizing silence that followed, "W-what do we do now?"

"We're going to take her back to Lumina City," Ace began, standing strong as he looked off into the distance, despite the two large tears hanging in his eyes, "We're going to tell the other Twilight Knights…and we'll give her a proper burial." He concluded, moving past them all. He knelt down and took Advent's lifeless body from Cyclonis and Piper, who were choking back their tears. He took her in his arms and began moving towards their transportation.

"We'd better get moving then…" Aerrow quivered, choking back tears of his own as he followed Ace.

* * *

**[Message from Kingdom]: **This is legit. See you guys next Saturday.

-Happy Thursday


	71. Chapter 34: Last Will

**[Message from KC]:** Hey guys! It's Saturday and like I promised! Here's the next update! A few quick things, my shift key is still on the fritz, so if random letters are capitalized that I happened to miss (or proper nouns aren't in capitalized either) I'm sorry XD Also if you follow me on deviantart I'm going to be posting some new artwork soon :3 So expect that! That's about it! As always, reviews are appreciated, they always mean a lot to me! So enjoy the update!

Happy Saturday everypony!

* * *

Chapter XXXIV.

Last Will

"Where is Cypress…" Ace commanded, stepping before the dark visage of the old god. He had sent the others back to Lumina City without him. Ace had a few of his own demons he had to battle before battling Advent's. First thing was first, he needed to find out where Cypress was. Now that Advent was gone, it was his responsibility to pick up where she had left off. Many of the other Knights might not have seen it this way, but given Ace's relationship to Advent, he felt obliged.

The shadow said nothing. It just watched him with empty, hollow eyes. Ace buried his face in the palms of his hands in frustration. Why wasn't it answering him? He looked back up to the withered god, as it gave Ace the cold shoulder. He ground his teeth as the shadow began walking away from him. He leaned over and lifted a small rock off of the ground.

"HEY!" Ace exclaimed, throwing it at the back of the god's head, "Answer me!" It turned around to face him, seemingly unaffected by being struck. It shook its head as it began to envelop itself in shadows, "No!" Ace shouted, "Why won't you answer me!"

"He can't…" The unfamiliar voice of a woman called from behind him. Ace turned around and came upon a completely different face from what he had been accustomed to. She was small and slender with ghostly pale skin, long white hair, and reddish eyes. She looked a lot like Advent, Cypress, and Cyclonis, but there were a few traits that were solely hers.

"Farrah?" Ace asked, taking a step towards her, "My God…" He stated, placing a hand on her face. She was nearly nineteen or twenty now. But more unsettling than that, she was now tangible, "Y-you're real…and you're so old…"

"I understand," she stated with a slight smile, seeming less sinister than usual. She gently pulled Ace's hand from her face, and her expression changed to a much more concerned one, "You have to listen to me…Cypress has been taken back to the far-side-"

"Farrah," Ace interrupted, "What's happening? What happened to _you_?"

"Listen to me," Farrah began, "You need to stop my mother…she's been taken back to the Far-side by the gate children…There are things you should know about the reliquary and the gods before you continue."

"Then tell me what I need to know," Ace began, his attention completely focused on Farrah.

"Cypress can not keep souls within the reliquary forever," Farrah explained, seizing Ace by the wrist, "Fly me back to Lumina City…it isn't safe here."

"Right," Ace nodded as he and Farrah headed to his ride. They both climbed on to the back as Ace revved the engine of his skimmer, and took off into the air.

"If she absorbs the souls of the fallen," Farrah continued as they soared through the thick, hot, grey clouds hovering above the wastelands, "Without reaping them herself, the souls will not manifest within the reliquary…they will fade and she will lose the power she accumulated."

"Which is why she released the souls after the red palace tournament," Ace called, over the wind whipping through their ears, and the roaring engine, "It all makes sense now! But does that mean she's taken Advent's soul forever?"

"Only part of it," Farrah continued, "She still needs the second half that remains on this earth."

"So what you're saying is…" Ace began, craning his neck slightly to look at her, "Cypress needs me?"

"Exactly," Farrah nodded, with a dire expression, "And if she has Advent's completed soul…she'll be unstoppable. She won't even need to accumulate any others. Having the essence of a Valkyrie would be troublesome, but if she has the soul of someone as powerful as Advent, the result could be catastrophic."

"I understand that much," Ace replied, touching down on a nearby mesa. It was hard to speak, listen, and retain while trying to pilot, "But what about the kid? What's his story…and why's it so important to Cypress that he stay hidden?" He asked, shutting off the engine once the vehicle had halted.

"Cain is the last of Cypress' children," Farrah explained, "He was born sometime before myself, but as punishment for having a child without Jevanni and the great mother's permission, they turned him into the Portis' key. Knowing that, Cypress feared for his safety and sealed him within a crystal, hiding him within the wastelands."

"Who was she afraid of?" Ace asked, sounding concerned.

"Herself," Farrah explained, "Only the Gods truly know what lies beyond once you've passed through the Portis. It is said that beyond lies the paths to other worlds, just as the door to the Far-Side. Should Cypress control this world and its resources, could you imagine what might happen should she be able to conquer other worlds?"

"I'd rather not think about it," Ace replied, "So if Cain is the key? Then where's the _actual _Portis? And does it even exist on this Atmos?"

"Of course," Farrah stated, with a nod, "It's in Cypress' stronghold on New Atmosia. Though, with Dar'Khan's help, she pulled it from the Far-Side."

"Can we destroy the Portis?" Ace then asked after several long moments of silence. Farrah looked up at him, biting her lip slightly.

"I don't know…that would be something you'd have to ask Jevanni," She replied, scratching her head.

"Then I'll need to speak with her," Ace sighed, placing his hands back on to the steering of his skimmer, "But first…we should focus on getting rid of that reliquary…"

"It's linked to Cypress' soul," Farrah nodded, "Her essence and her reliquary are one, and it can be destroyed very easily. Which is why she is so protective of it."

"Kind of like the hubris in a wish," Ace stated, "She wanted the power of a god…but at the cost of her soul, and the burden of having to protect it…failure to do so, being the cost of her life."

"Exactly," Farrah nodded, "The problem is we need to get the reliquary away from my mother long enough to destroy it."

"You leave that to me," Ace stated, "I promised you that I would end Cypress, and I promised the guardians that we would end this war one way or another. The good news is, until Cypress returns form the Far-Side…if she can…we'll be able to regroup and plan for when the next attack is going to be mounted."

"Indeed, however as for her return, the gate children are the spawn of the dark god," Farrah explained, "They guard the entrance to and from the far side, though since Cypress stole his powers though the seizure of the reliquary and his third eye-"

"Third eye?" Ace asked.

"The medallion on Cypress' amulet," Farrah explained, "Was his third eye, before Cypress took his powers from him. She pulled it from his skull and used it as a means of controlling his armies. Either way, with those relics in her possession, the children of the gate believe Cypress to be the dark god…and they dragged her back to the realm where they believe she belongs. She will return…if she is not torn apart by her own mistakes."

"One last question," Ace began, turning to her before he ignited the engine, "How…are you here?"

"Uncle…" She began with a melancholic smile, "Advent is dead…and with her, the soul she used to supplement the half she lost to revive you, was freed…Through her death, I've been reborn."

"Well…" Ace began, revving the engine, "In that case…I'm going to need your help…"

* * *

Ace and Farrah touched down on the streets before the consulate building. The skimmer slid to a halt as Ace shut off the engine, and threw down the kickstand. He and Farrah immediately stepped off the vehicle and ran towards the front steps of the headquarters. The skies above the city were even darker than before. Thunder and lighting roared and flashed through the clouds, but still a light snow continued to fall. That damn snow was never going to stop.

Everyone was sitting on the front steps, or out before the building. There were so few people still present. Their faces were all lowered and Ace could see tears hanging in some of their eyes. Lives were lost today, but he had no idea how many. Just upon first glance, he could tell it was a lot. A few sky knights were gone, no one he knew personally, but that didn't mean that it wasn't a loss.

At the top of the steps, was Cyrus, clutching to the pale and lifeless body of Advent. Her sobs could be heard throughout the entire city, as the air was deathly silent. Nova and Aerrow were knelt down beside her. Arguably, Cyrus meant the most to Advent. No one had truly known how much the two were in love until this moment.

"Why!" Cyrus cried out, holding her fallen lover in her arms, "Why? W-why Advent…oh god…" She wailed, as Nova put her hand on her shoulder.

Ace lowered his head as he headed up the steps towards them. He didn't bother with Cyrus or Nova. They were grieving, and he understood that. But before her death Advent had given them a task to complete. He turned to the other guardians who were standing nearby, and nodded to them. Without another word, they all understood. Ace then placed a hand on Aerrow's shoulder. He nodded as he followed his former rival into the consulate building.

The halls were silent and empty. Something about this place seemed inappropriate. It was as if, now that Advent was gone, it wasn't right to stay here. Regardless, they headed back through the winding halls of the consulate's offices until they reached the large oak doors to Advent's. Junko threw the doors open at the others filed inside.

"Alright…" Aerrow stated quietly, "We're looking for a box…nothing else."

They all nodded in silence as they began opening drawers, scanning shelves, and filing through cabinets.

"Hey," Sora then commanded quietly as they all walked over to her. She was crouched down, looking at a small space behind Advent's desk. She managed to find a wide, loose, and long floorboard that she had managed to pull up. There were several items within the secret compartment, including what looked like her sword, several old books, a pouch or two, a few boxes with no lids, some bottles filled with various items, and a simple wooden box. Carefully, they all removed all the objects and placed them on the desk before them. They all just stood for a moment. Going through her things didn't feel right, but it's what she had commanded of them as her dying wish.

"Aerrow," Piper began, as everyone else took a step back from the objects.

"What?" He asked, sounding confused as they all looked expectantly at him.

"Well," Ace then began, "Advent wanted you to take over the Twilight Knights at some point…"

"It's obvious she wants you to lead us," Stork then added, nodding towards the items laid out in front of him.

"It wouldn't be right for any of us to open it," Cyclonis stated, looking a little saddened by this. Cyclonis was her daughter, and at times, she was sure she felt as if Advent never really loved her.

"Okay," Aerrow nodded, wiping his eye as he sat down in Advent's desk chair and pulled the box towards him. He lifted the lid, and inside were several letters and very official looking papers. There was a thick collection of sealed documents, which Aerrow lifted from the box and set aside. He then began rifling through the named letters, "There's one for all of us…" He stated. And it was true. There was a letter for every guardian, and he distributed them as such.

"Who are the others for?" Cloud asked, looking over into the box.

"One's for Nova," Aerrow began, pulling them out and placing them on the desk, "Cyrus, Matteo, and Snipe…"

"Snipe?" Finn asked, raising an eyebrow, before being elbowed in both sides by Cyclonis and Piper, "Sorry…none of my business."

"Alright…" Aerrow began, taking a deep breath, "Here goes…" He sighed, pulling open the red seal and letting the document unfold.

"It's almost like she was planning on dying soon…" Sora stated, looking down at the ground.

"She was," Ace replied, "If I watched myself die…I'd be planning for it."

"Guys," Cyclonis commanded, as Aerrow prompted himself to begin. They all grew silent as they gathered around.

"If you're reading this," Aerrow began, taking another deep breath, "It means that my time on this Atmos has come, and I am gone…"

* * *

_As I am sure all you know by now, I have been preparing for this day for some time, as I have been preparing you to end this war. This is my last will and testament. As I have instructed, I wish for the nine guardians to read this first. If there is anyone present who is not, I ask you to respect my wishes and leave._

_You will note that with this box, were several other personal effects of mine. So, I would like to start with my sword, which I leave to Aerrow. As my protégé, I feel it best that you have it._

_To Finn, I leave the contents of the blue pouch, which contains two platinum bands. After our discussion…I am sure you know why I am leaving them to you._

_To Cyclonis, I leave the necklace within the small red box. Upon their birth every Valkyrie is given this as a symbol of their pedigree. Though mine was taken from me several years ago, Jevanni allowed me to hand it to you._

_To Sora and Piper, I leave my personal treasury of crystals. They are in one of the boxes that accompanied this one. I hope the both of you can divide them evenly between yourselves, though I trust that you will._

_To Cloud, I leave the last vial of Valkyrie tears in my possession. I can think of no one who would put it to better use than you. However, please use it wisely, and only under the most dire of circumstances._

_To Stork, you will notice several other vials amidst my effects. These are various poisons I have collected from all over Atmos. No doubt that you will find them useful._

_To Junko, I leave you with the key to my skimmer. I believe that you will put my ride to good use, and you need it more than anyone I can think of._

_Lastly, to Anteres, I leave my copy of the Prophet. I know that you have already read it, but I would like for you to have it more than anyone else. I trust you will take good care of it. However, there is something else that I entrust to you in my death._

_Though Aerrow was promised the Twilight Knights, I do not believe that he is ready to take on the responsibility. You know more about myself and how I would make any decisions. Because of this, I have made the difficult decision of leaving the Twilight Knights to you until Aerrow has finished training and is able to lead with the grace and dignity of a Dawnrunner._

* * *

"What?" Aerrow asked, placing the document down on the table before even reading the rest. No one in the room had any idea what to say. Ace looked confused, and Aerrow looked hurt. Everyone in the room turned to Ace, though his expression clearly stated that he was just as blindsided.

"How long have you known about this?" Aerrow asked quietly, staring off into space. His expression was dark and angry.

"I didn't know anything about this!" Ace exclaimed, attesting to his innocence, "I swear I didn't know she was going to make me squadron leader! And Aerrow-" HE continued, but the red head neither wanted to hear him out, or believe his story, "Aerrow wait!" Ace exclaimed, following after him as he rose from behind Advent's desk and stormed out of the room.

"Anteres," Cloud began, taking him gently by the arm, "Just give him a moment…"

"You have to believe me," Ace then stated after a few moments of silence, "I had no idea…" He felt horrible. Aerrow must have thought that he was taunting him, making him read the will, and everything. That was never his intention. Ace had always a great respect for Aerrow, even when they were enemies.

"We believe you," Piper nodded.

"Everyone thought it was going to be him," Cyclonis added, "I'd be shocked if someone actually thought otherwise."

"Right…" Ace nodded. He was visibly upset, though even if he had hid his emotions, they all would have known, "So I suppose…we should address the other Twilight Knights-"

"Or you should," Finn stated flatly, as the others turned to him.

"You _are _our leader now," Junko replied with a nod, "So…what should we do?" He asked as the others looked to him expectantly. Ace bit his lip as he thought for a moment.

"I'll address them," Ace stated, taking the will off of the table, "Tell them about Advent's dying wishes…and…I have no idea where to go from there. For now…gather the squadron and have them convene in the main hall. As for you," He stated, turning to Piper, "Get Aerrow…and talk him out of whatever mindset he's put himself in."

"Yes sir," Piper nodded, quickly exiting the room in order to find her lover.

"Go…" He commanded quietly of the rest of them, as the filed out of the room.

"Only been leader for five minuets and he's already bossing us around," Finn laughed slightly, as he placed his hands behind his head.

"Not now Finn," Stork stated, shooting him a dark look.

"Hey!" Cloud snapped, stopping all of them as they turned to her, "Listen we all have our own ways of dealing with loss alright?"

"Cloud's right," Cyclonis nodded, "Let's not get on each other's backs…at least not now."


	72. Chapter 35: Riders on the Storm

**[From the desk of KC]: **In the last chapter…

Some stuff happened.

And so it continues! (P.S. sorry this chapter was a couple days late…I've been working constantly and a family member is sick :/ next chapter should be on time…Saturday that is…right on schedule!)

* * *

Chapter XXXV.

Riders on the Storm

"Cypress will be back," Ace began, standing before his new battalion. It had felt like ages since he had been in command of anything. Truthfully, he forgot how much he actually detested the feeling. The more he thought about it, the more he came to realize that he only 'enjoyed' being a Cylonian commander was because he was so romanced into the idea to begin with, "And though I commend you all for your efforts today, you all fought valiantly, but that doesn't mean that Cypress' army isn't going to be any less a threat than they were already."

"Vat about zoze zat ve lost!" Dove exclaimed, as the others around her began to murmur. They were still opposed to Ace being in command, but with a world on the cusp of another battle in the endless war, it was hardly a time to negotiate, "Ve need to give zem a proper burial!"

"And we will!" Starling then shouted, stepping up beside Ace, "But a funeral at the moment is out of the question."

"This battle could go on for days!" A tall, slight sky knight with short rose colored hair snapped. They recognized this woman from the screaming queens squadron, and as it appeared, she was the only one of them left, "They deserve to be put to rest now!"

With her call, and uproar of shouts arose from the group. The room was divided by those who believed in strategizing for the next assault, the other for honoring the dead before it was too late. Ace ground his teeth and clenched his fists as every knight began spitting venom at one another.

"Enough!" Ace shouted. The size of the initial group had drastically decreased. Obviously the last fight had taken more of a toll on them than they had thought, "Listen to yourselves! Whether you like it or not, I am leader of the Twilight Knights, and what I say, goes! I want to make that very clear! Somewhere over on New Atmosia, the Imperialists are laughing at us, because as it appears we can't get our act together! I understand that today's battle was a surprise attack, but we should have been prepared for it."

"So what's the plan?" Matteo demanded, crossing his arms. The group was now silent, all watching Ace expectantly.

"The plan is this," Ace stated after a prolonged silence, "I'm taking the guardians and anyone else willing to volunteer for the assault with me to New Atmosia. We'll mount an assault against Cypress' citadel before she can manage to re-gather her forces to mount another attack. Those staying behind will do one of the following," He continued to explain, "Rally the citizens of Lumina and take them to the Velodrome for safe keeping until the threat has passed, or stay on patrol, watch, and defense." He continued, "Those are your options." He concluded, turning away from the group and heading towards the makeshift hangar of the headquarters.

"Anteres wait I-" Starling began as she and Nova chased after him.

"_Master _Anteres…" Nova interrupted, correcting her.

"Drop the _master _crap," Ace replied, crossing his arms, "I don't intend to stay leader of this squadron for long."

"Anteres," Nova then called out to him as they all entered the hangar, "You don't actually intend on storming the citadel in New Atmosia? Do you?"

"I do," Ace replied with a nod, "There's something that the guardians and myself have to do…for Advent."

"I think it's a suicide mission," Starling stated, crossing her arms, "But you're leader now…so I'd like to accompany you." She stated with a smile.

"I'll come too," Nova nodded, placing her hands on her hips, "You guys won't last a second without me anyway…besides Cyrus can take over on the home front."

"Great," Ace smiled, nodding to the both of them, "Listen can you gather the guardians and any other volunteers…we're leaving as soon as possible."

"Of course," Starling replied with a nod.

"But where are you going?" Nova asked.

"I have to talk to Aerrow," Ace stated, lowering his head slightly. The women just nodded. He didn't need to say anything more. The two women exited the hangar and Ace let out a long sigh, he turned to go find the red-head only to find him leaning against his ride, staring at Ace a bit expectant and disdainfully. How long had he been standing there?

"Well?" Aerrow shrugged, "What do you want?"

"I want to let you know," Ace began, taking a deep breath, "That I didn't want this. And I had no idea that Advent-"

"Well I did," Aerrow replied, crossing his arms and looking away from Ace. He raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"You what?" Ace asked, looking and sounding slightly angry as he took a few steps towards Aerrow.

"I knew," He replied with a nod, "I didn't want to believe it…but I knew." He stated, looking down at his feet. Just because he knew, didn't mean he was any less hurt. This whole sequence of events had turned his life upside down, and truthfully speaking, it was making Ace wonder. What else had Advent been lying to them about? Regardless, he kept his eyes fixed on Aerrow as he spoke, "Towards the end…she started acting weird. Started making these subtle comments about how you'd be a great father and that she'd taught you well. But then she'd cover it up by saying we were all taught well…it sounds weird…but I started to pick up on the idea that I wasn't-" He tried to continue, but before he could continue, Ace struck him, hard, across the face.

"You…" He began quietly, "You knew! And you still had the nerve to pull that little stunt back in Advent's office!" He shouted, staring down at Aerrow, though he didn't seem effected, "I've been killing myself inside for the past two hours because I thought that _you thought_ I took this from you!"

"Since when did you ever care about taking things from me?" Aerrow shouted, a hand on the stinging red mark on his cheek, "You didn't care when you took my dad." Ace was silent. It was as though he had been struck across the face as well. He had been trying to keep that a secret from Aerrow for as long as he could, though one can only keep a secret of this scale hidden for so long. It was only a matter of time. He bit the inside of his cheek as he stared down the younger, "Yeah…I knew that too…I've known for a while now."

"Who told you…" Ace replied, not knowing if he was suppressing anger or fear.

"No one _needed _to tell me," Aerrow replied, suppressing some feelings of his own, "I could tell just by the way you've been treating me ever since you came back. The look on your face when you talk to me or any of the Storm Hawks for that matter, the way you've been fighting to protect us, and the way you took care of Sora when she was younger…I knew you were trying to make up for it."

"Are you forgiving me?" Ace asked quietly. It was silent between them for a long time. The look on Aerrow's face said no. He had no right to ask for his forgiveness, and he wasn't entitled to it.

"No," Aerrow replied, crossing his arms, as his eyes began to cloud slightly, "No I'm not. I already did…I did a long time ago, when I learned that you and the Dark Ace were too different people." He continued. There was something that struck Ace about that statement. He had believed that there wasn't much that had changed about him since the resurrection, but evidently he was wrong, "I just wanted to see how long you'd keep atoning for it." He concluded, "I guess it's been long enough."

"I suppose I deserved that," Ace replied, looking down at the ground.

"I'm not going to hold a grudge over this," Aerrow then stated, looking up at Ace, "That would be pointless…and childish…I can be angry later. Right now, I believe you ordered an assault on New Atmosia. Cypress is the cause of all this, and if I'm going to be angry with anyone, it's going to be her."

"Well then…" Ace replied, turning away from Aerrow just slightly, "I suppose we shouldn't waste any time."

* * *

"What happened to our Master?" Anaxagoras commanded as his voice echoed throughout the throne room of Cypress' grand citadel. The flickering portal to the Far-Side was pulsing with energy as her lieutenants all waited for her return to the proper plane of existence.

"Don't ask me!" Meno hissed, "I know as much about the Far-Side as you do!"

"What were those things?" Anaxagoras commanded, looking into the portal, "I've never seen those even in the Far-Side!"

"Whatever happened I'm sure Master Cypress is more than capable of returning," Anaximenes stated, looking at the faces of the other lieutenants.

"Silence!" Anaxagoras shouted, turning to his younger brother. He was visibly frightened, maybe more for himself than his master.

"If we could locate the Dark God," Noah then stated, being the only voice of reason amidst the group, "Than perhaps we could use what little power he has left to return our master-"

"Our Masssssster!" Repton hissed, turning to her with a slight laugh, "Now that Cypressss isss gone, I call to no one!" He continued, making his way out of the throne room. Before the raptor could exit however, a large shadow flew us from the ground, amd knocked him to the ground. The shadow then took Anaxagoras' form and the commander loomed over him.

"How dare you!" Anaxagoras hissed as a dark and shadowy hand flew from the darkness behind him and seized Repton by the throat, holding him high above Anaxagoras, "She gave you the divine right to rule at her side and you treat her arrogance! You are a nothing compared to her." He growled as the shadowy hand tightened its grip around the raptor's neck.

"Anaxsssagoraasss…" Repton pleaded, struggling to break free, "P-Pleaassssse…"

"Anaxagoras enough of this," Meno began, placing a hand on his shoulder. He growled at her and pushed her away as the hand dissipated and dropped the raptor to the ground.

"C-carver was right!" Repton gasped, grasping his throat, "You're nothing but a bunch of crystal freaks!" Repton scrambled to his feet and attempted to flee from the citadel, but before he could even make one step, the shadowy hand shot up from the darkness. It pierced through Repton's back and up through his chest. The reptilian stood motionless, looking down at the hole in his torso once the shadow had disappeared. He then fell to the ground as his eyes glazed over. Meno let out a long sigh as she walked over to his body.

"Did you really have to kill him?" She asked, crossing her arms as she strode over to Anaxagoras. He said nothing. He turned back to the portal and noticed that the dark gate was flashing and crackling with deep violet light.

The living lieutenants backed away in fear as hundreds of the same long, blackened, tentacle-like arms from before flew fourth from the void and plunged towards the fallen body of Repton. The room began to shake, and the obsidian walls began to crack as the arms darted about the room. From the portal, they could see what looked like inky black figures with hollow green eyes, pulling Repton into the portal.

"What's happening!" Anaximenes called out to the others as a crystal-shaped orange glow appeared beneath the skin on his chest. The light burned as it pulsated with energy. A bright blue light shone on Anaximander, as a pale violet shone for Meno, and a dark light shone for Anaximander.

"The…crystals from…the Far-Side…" Meno coughed, as the four collapsed to the ground, "…must…be reacting with…the energy from the…p-portal…" She hissed, just as Repton disappeared within the vortex.

"What were those things?" Noah asked, once the arms retreated into the void, and the glow coming from her fellow lieutenants faded. They rose to their feet, but still watched in slight fear, for the portal never ceased glowing.

"What do we do now brother?" Anaximander asked calmly.

"What do you think?" Anaxagoras growled, "We should destroy this before it might have the chance to destroy us."

"You don't think it could?" Anaximander asked, looking horrified.

"Absolutely," Meno stated, turning to him with a dire expression across her face, "Whatever lies beyond in the Far-Side has the potential to destroy Atmos…Now that Cypress isn't here I think it's time we take matters into our own hands." She continued, as her slender fingers extended into long, knife-like appendages.

"No…" Noah stated, seizing Meno's wrist just as she was about to make a dive for the portal, "Even of we could destroy it on our own…we risk the chance of isolating Master Cypress in the Far-Side…"

"Cypress spent centuries in the Far-Side," Anaximenes stated as flames spouted fourth from his palms, "She'll survive until we can find another way to bring her back."

"Our brother is right," Anaximander replied in an even and cool voice, "Besides Cypress wants to rule Atmos proper more than anything…she'll be angry with us for leaving her, but she'll be absolutely livid if upon her return she discovers there is no Atmos left to rule."

"He's right…" Meno sighed, pulling her hand away from Noah.

"That won't be necessary," A voice hissed, stepping out from the flickering void. A blackened clawed hand gripped the dark floor as it pulled a black, tarry arm from the portal. Several of the thick, tentacle-like arms reappeared, slithering fourth from the portal. They pulled a thin body from the void, each of them protruding from the back of the figure. The group watched in slight fear as the figure strode towards them.

"M-master Cypress?" Anaxagoras asked as the figure strode towards them.

Her form was covered in a thick, shiny, dark substance that almost shimmered a little. From a distance, one would think it was obsidian, but upon closer inspection, it seemed living. It pulsed and breathed as though it was alive, and it looked like veins, or the roots of a plant wrapping around her body, leaving a few bare patches of skin visible, snaking all the way up to her neck, and beginning to envelop her face. Her irises were radiating with a pulsing red light, and the whites of her eyes were blackened.

"Were you expecting someone else," She asked. There was a frightening calmness to her that hadn't been seen by any of them for years now. Not since she had first returned, and even still there was something more chilling about her demeanor than before.

"What…happened to you?" Meno asked, looking over her master.

"What happened to me?" Cypress asked with a slightly crazed laugh, "Meno…my dear, what you are looking at is the future of this world. This new form…has been given unto me from the Far-Side, so that I may better continue to shape this world into the utopia that the Far-Side deserves!"

"The Far-Side?" Anaxagoras shouted, "To hell with the Far-Side! Our mission was to-"

"My mission," Cypress hissed, as one of the snake-like appendages lifted into the air, swinging itself at Anaxagoras and knocking him across the throne room, "No one else's…My mission was to rule Atmos yes. And with the help of the Far-Side I've been able to do so…but it's helped us do so much more than just rule the Atmos."

"Master?" Meno began, "What-"

"Other worlds!" Cypress exclaimed, "Beyond Atmos! Beyond even the Far-Side! And with this," She continued, turning to the gateway behind her, "The Portis…we can go to them! Why stop at just this pitiful plane when we can have it _all_!"

"Master," Anaximander stated, showing some emotion for the first time in his life, "To suggest there is something beyond the Far-Side…is heresy."

"No Anaximander," Cypress smiled, a wild look in her eyes as she rushed up to him and seized his face, "Not heresy…reality! Only fools disregard the truth for a more familiar ideal." She continued, tossing him aside, "We are on the verge of something great my trusted lieutenants…"

* * *

"Here's how this is going to work," Ace stated before a rather small group of knights, "Piper and Cyclonis are going to provide us with enough cover for the Captain to bring in the blood crow." He stated, pointing to a map of New Atmosia, sprawled out across a table, "In order for the charge canons to blast through the walls of the citadel, the ship's going to have to be brought in as close as possible."

"There's going to be sentries everywhere," Nova stated, looking around at the group, and then to Ace, "What was your plan for them?"

"Sora," Ace replied, nodding towards the eighteen year old. She was still pale from her encounter with the gate, but she was going to be alright (truthfully, they all were still questioning why it had effected her), "Aerrow is going to take her down to the edge of the city just before we begin the assault-"

"Ace," Leto began, rushing through the small group crowded around the table, "Ya betta come outside mon…"

"Can this wait?" Ace commanded, looking up from the map with a raised brow, "This is kind of important."

"Ya so be dis…" Leto stated, looking worried, "Ya all might wanna be checkin dis out…" The group dispersed, rushing out of the consulate building. They all stood on the front steps and stared up at the sky. A distinct, dark, bluish lightning flashed through the deep grey clouds that hung overhead.

"By the Gods…" Nova whispered, standing next to Ace as a violent wind whipped throughout the streets.

Through the dark clouds, and flashes of lighting, several hundred of the nightcrawlers could be seen, soaring towards them like a swarm of bats. One massive carrier plowed through the clouds. It was _her _personal carrier, and they all knew that, though it was covered in a the living obsidian, pulsing and breathing as the carrier flew towards the terra.

"What is that!" Finn exclaimed, taking a step back towards the door of the consulate.

"It looks like Cypress brought the battle to us," Ace commanded, staring up at the sky, "Everyone to your rides!" He commanded, as the group began to scramble, "That's an order!"

"What exactly is the plan now?" Nova asked, as Cyrus ran up at her side. She still looked unnerved by Advent's death, but she could mourn later.

"There is none…" Ace replied, "The plan is to attack them head on. But as long as all of the Lumina citizens are safe within the velodrome, someone should stay and-"

"Already taken care of," Cyrus stated quietly, "What little fighters of the old resistance are left stayed behind to make sure the citizens stayed safe."

"Alright," Ace nodded, "Then get your fighters…both of you." He stated, dismissing them both.

Within moments, everyone had entered the hangar and was equipping their rides with what little arsenal they had left after the first assault. Those who didn't pilot were teaming themselves up with those who could, and Jean, Stork, and Aida were quickly making sure all available fighters were in ready condition.

"All fighters are fighters are ready to be dispatched!" Aida called as the hangar roared with the flaring of engines.

"I'm going in with the first wave," Ace stated, turning to his new right-hand women, "Nova, I want you to lead the second attack…Cyrus you come in with the third. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal sir," Cyrus replied with a nod, as Ace headed to his ride.

"Cyclonis!" Finn shouted through the fray of fighters. She turned to him as he rushed towards her, taking a firm hold of her hands, "Wait…"

"Finn we don't have time for this," She stated, looking over to her ride.

"But I might not get the chance," He stated, placing a hand on her face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the blue pouch that Advent had left to him, "It'll only take a minuet…I promise."

"What's this about?" She asked, looking up at him.

"I talked to her after we got back," Finn stated, looking down at the pouch, "She's your mom…so I asked her if it was okay," He continued, removing the two platinum bands from the pouch, "And she gave me these…"

"Finn…" Cyclonis began, looking down at the rings in his hand, "Are…are you asking me…"

"I'm asking you to marry me…" He stated, "Even if we die today…at least I'll die as your fiancée." She didn't say anything. She knew this was coming, though he had never actually said it. She pulled his face towards hers and their lips met for a long time. She gently pulled away from him and took the rings from his hand, placing them gently on her left hand.

"Yes…" She replied, "My answer is yes…"

"Hey!" Piper shouted, interrupting their moment, "Hate to break it up but…we've got a bit of a situation!" They both nodded and broke apart, heading towards their rides.

Ace revved the engine of his ride, just before taking off into the skies. A small flock of skimmers headed into the skies just behind him, the nine guardians included in the wave. Nova and Cyrus lead their directed fleets into the battle sometime after them, though the rest of the knights stayed, fighting off the nightcrawlers. The Blood Crow pulled itself from the dock not too long after the pilots dispatched themselves, and drifted towards Cypress' personal carrier. The skull at the front of the ship opened and the canon peered out, sending large hot bolts of energy towards the carrier. Though with every shot, it didn't seem to effect Cypress' ship.

"Captain!" Skyler commaned, turning to him from the canon's controls, "The enemy cruiser's defenses are too strong! We can't break through-"

"Why don't you tell me something I don't know!" Captain Scabulous replied, giving her a sharp glare, "The Crow wasn't meant to operate with such a small crew! She won't last long in battle."

"Then we'll just have to make it last!" Aida shouted from the helm.

"Ace…" Aerrow called, meanwhile outside. The storm seemed to be getting worse, as the gusts of wind grew stronger, and a cold, stinging rain fell, "Why aren't we joining the others in the fight?" He asked as Ace lead them towards Cypress' carrier.

"We're never going to get the chance to fight Cypress out here!" Ace replied over the sounds of the battle around them, "No matter how many of her forces we fight, they'll just keep coming!" He continued, landing his skimmer down on the airstrip towards the top of the ship.

"What is this stuff?" Junko asked, looking a little nervous as he turned to look at the black pulsing material growing on the ship.

"AAAH…" Sora hissed, as she fell off the back of Piper's heliscooter, weakened by whatever the substance was. The leathery scar on her hand that she had obtained many years ago was glowing with a pulsing light that synchronized with the breathing of the organic substance.

"Sora!" Piper began, lifting the girl off of the ground.

"Hold on!" Cloud began as she touched down on to the airstrip, reverting from her flight form as an owl, back to her normal form. She rushed towards Sora, taking hold of her glowing hand, but as soon as Cloud touched it, she let out a hiss and pulled back, "It…burns…what is this!"

"It is the future of Atmos…" Cypress began with a crazed laugh as she strode out on to the airstrip amidst the wild storm. The nine guardians looked horrified as Cypress' new form strode towards them, "Isn't it beautiful?"

"Not exactly the word I'd use…" Aerrow replied, taking one of his twin blades in hand.


	73. Chapter 36: The Other Side Part II

Chapter XXXVI.

The Other Side (Part II)

"You can not win this fight," Cypress stated, as a dark energy pulsed through the air around her, "So I must ask you this…With all the casualties you've suffered, and given the current conditions of the twilight knights…why don't you just give up?" She asked with a slight laugh, throwing her head back slightly.

"Because we don't know the meaning of those words," Aerrow stated, pointing his blades at Cypress.

"Then you will all die," She snarled, as her multiple snake-like arms rose into the air and plunged towards the guardians. Most of them dodged the attack in time, except for Finn, who was just clipped in the shoulder by the sharp vectors.

"AH!" He hissed, clutching to his shoulder as he stumbled backwards.

"No doubt you're impressed," Cypress laughed, as she commanded her newfound powers to attack the group again.

One of the dark arms flew towards Cloud, who was cradling Sora, trying to keep her safe. Whatever strange properties this obsidian from the Far-Side contained, Sora couldn't touch it. Cloud rushed out of the way, but the arm kept swinging towards her.

"Leave 'em alone!" Junko then shouted, seizing one of the thick black tentacles in each hand. Cypress had a suddenly surprised look on her face as the wallop began to glow a slight reddish color.

"What!" Cypress exclaimed, as Junko pulled on the arms, knocking her to the ground. And with seemingly inhuman (or inwallop) strength, he lifted the grotesque woman into the air, swinging her around by her tentacles, and throwing her over the side of the ship. They all rushed to the edge of the strip, looking down at the seemingly endless abyss of grey storm clouds.

"Way to go Junko!" Piper exclaimed, as the wallop ceased glowing. He lost his footing and stumbled around a bit, as if dizzy or disoriented.

"W-what happened?" He asked in confusion, shaking his head.

"You just chucked Cypress to kingdom come, that's what happened," Finn laughed, still clutching to his bleeding shoulder.

"No…" Ace began, stepping back from the edge, "No that was too easy…"

"Anteres is right," Cyclonis nodded, turning from Ace, to the others, "She'll be back…not even a fall from this height would kill her n-" But before Cyclonis could continue, she was cut off by a loud thud from behind them. One of the thick obsidian tentacles slammed down on the strip behind them, gripping to the ship.

"I didn't appreciate that…" Cypress stated flatly as she hoisted herself back on to the airstrip, "Enough with this foolishness! I'm offering you one last chance for the Twilight Knights to lay down their arms-"

"No!" Ace shouted, stepping before the group, "I won't let Atmos be subjected to your twisted reign. I made a promise to someone that one way or another, I would end you and make sure that this world was safe."

"…Ace?" Aerrow asked quietly.

"And if I have to die in the process," He continued, walking up to Cypress, "Then so be it." He continued. He began to glow a pale blue color for a moment, and a look of sheer terror fell across her face as Ace clutched his blade, resonating with energy, despite no crystal being linked to power it. He raised his sword, but before he could even strike at Cypress, a dark blue, static energy possessed his body. Ace let out a pain filled howl as he dropped his weapon and fell to the ground. The angelic light faded into the same dark glow that surrounded Cypress.

"I always knew you were special…" Cypress laughed as Ace writhed on the ground in pain.

"Anteres!" Cloud exclaimed, Sora still groaning in pain in her arms.

"Get out of here…" Ace exclaimed, stumbling to his feet as Cypress laughed hysterically, "All of you leave…now!"

"We're not going to leave you behind!" Aerrow replied sternly.

"GO!" Ace screamed angrily, his eyes turning black as he turned to them. They all reluctantly ran back to the end of the strip where their rides were laying hastily on the ground.

"Here," Cloud stated, handing Sora to Cyclonis as she headed back towards Ace. However, before she could make it very far, she was pulled back towards the group.

"Don't even think about it…" Aerrow stated, gently pushing her back towards the others, "Nobody is staying behind…except me."

"Aerrow no!" Piper exclaimed, rushing up towards him.

"Listen…" Aerrow stated, turning to the others in the group, "I'm never going to prove that I can lead the Twilight Knights by running away when things get bad…and Ace- I mean…Anteres can't defeat Cypress on his own. Now all of you go! That's an order!"

"Just make it back okay," Piper stated, seizing Aerrow by his face and bringing him in towards hers. He leaned forward slightly and kissed her for a few short seconds before pulling away. She then ran towards her heliscooter, with tears hanging in her eyes as she climbed on to her ride and took off into the air. Aerrow watched her fly away and drew his to twin blades before taking a deep breath. He didn't particularly want to stay behind, but it was the right thing to do.

"So what's the plan?" Cyclonis asked from behind him. Aerrow turned around in confusion to see his enemy turned ally. She gave him a slight smile, and raised an eyebrow.

"You need to get out of here," Aerrow stated sternly.

"She's my family…" Cyclonis stated a bit darkly, "I've got as much a reason, if not more, to stay behind than you do…You're not the only one with a score to settle…" She continued, taking out her staff.

"Fine," Aerrow nodded, turning back towards the many armed beast, drifting slightly above the end of the airstrip, "Then lets end this!" He rushed towards the scene, and Cyclonis followed after him. She stopped though, her eyes glowing a violet color, and a violent headache pounding in her skull.

It was a vision. She closed her eyes, trying to pay attention, and dismiss it at the same time. She opened her eyes once again and found herself in a new and unfamiliar place. Everything around her was blisteringly hot, and orange flames licked her pallid skin as the room around her began to crumble.

"Cyclonis!" Aerrow cried out in help, holding his hand out towards hers. He was trapped under a burning, wooden support beam. She tried to move towards him to help him, but the ceiling collapsed and separated the pair.

"No…" She gasped, opening her eyes in reality, noting that her vision had ended and she was standing back on the cold airstrip in Atmos, wind and icy rain whipping through the air. She had no idea what it meant, but her visions hadn't been entirely wrong before.

"Aerrow wait!" Cyclonis called as she rushed towards him. Aerrow stood still, watching the fight before him, not sure what to do.

"I see the obsidian had effected you as well," Cypress laughed, throwing Ace down to the ground. They both had seen is dark altered from before, during the tournament, but Ace had seemed mastering repressing it, "I almost regret giving you the power."

"I'm going to end you!" Ace growled, his voice filled with rage as blackened claws extended from his hands. He leaped into the air, diving towards Cypress. But with a flick of her hideous appendages, she knocked Ace to the ground like an insect.

"This is actually starting to become fun," Cypress laughed playfully, crossing her arms and throwing her head back, "Keep on coming, Anteres…I could do this all day!" She laughed once more, however she was interrupted by a winged bolt of bluish light, crashing towards her, and knocking her back slightly.

"Let's make this a fair fight!" Aerrow called out, landing on the ground before Cypress. She let out a dark growl and swung at him, knocking him to the ground as well.

"I have had ENOUGH of you!" She screamed wildly as Aerrow pulled himself off of the ground. The sharp end of one of her arms went diving towards him, too quickly from him to even think.

"NO!" Cyclonis shrieked, diving in front of him. Both men watched in awe, neither knowing what to do as the arm plunged through her chest, and through her back. But it seemed that he sacrifice was in vain. The sharp end of the arm pierced straight through her, and through the heart of Aerrow as well.

"NO!" Ace screamed, rising to his feet, as the darkness faded from his person, and he returned to normal. Aerrow and Cyclonis fell to the ground and Cypress laughed once more. She raised her reliquary into the air, and Ace dove for it. But it was no use. She had overpowered him, knocking him back once more, and sending him crashing to the ground as the reliquary glowed a strong and bright green. Amidst the flash, Aerrow and Cyclonis' bodies began to fade from reality, their spirits drifting into the relic.

"They belong to me now…" Cypress stated, her feet touching down on to the ground for the first time since her new transformation, "The triad is now broken…and you have no hope…"

* * *

"W-what happened…" Aerrow grumbled, rising to his feet and shaking his head, trying to regain his focus. He didn't remember much, all he recalled was Cyclonis diving in front…oh no, Cyclonis. Where was she? Was she alright? He prayed to anyone who would listen, hoping that she and Ace were okay. Though, he'd thought he'd ever be in a position where he would care about Ace or Cyclonis so much, "Cyclonis!" He shouted, attempting to rise to his feet. However he felt pinned to the ground, followed by excruciating pain in his legs, and heat. Searing, oppressive heat.

His vision came into focus, and he saw that he was surrounded by fire, trapped in what looked like a living room in a small house or apartment. The roof was collapsing in on him, and an army of orange flames danced around him, licking his skin. A thick wooden beam had fallen down on him, and was keeping him trapped within the burning room.

"Aerrow!" Cyclonis shouted, pushing through the fire, "Aerrow hold on I'm coming for you!" She shouted, as a piece of the burning room fell in front of her. She jumped back but only for a second, just before pushing through the fire once more.

"Cyclonis don't!" Aerrow growled, trying to suppress his howls of pain. He could see her lengthy raven hair had caught fire, along with the sleeves of her clothes. He didn't want her to get hurt.

"Shut up!" She commanded, "Give me your hand!" She shouted through the roar of the flame as she held her ash coated hand out towards him. Aerrow tried reaching for it, but she was just shy of his reach. They just barely touched fingertips before she felt an arm wrap around her waist and she was pulled away from him, "NO let me go!" she shouted, kicking at the strange man dressed in rubber and a gas mask. A second strange man pushed pas her and the man restraining her, cutting through the burning rubble with a large red axe.

"Get her out of here!" He wheezed to the other through his mask, "I'll get the boy." He continued, cutting through the beam pinning Aerrow down.

_My vision…_Cyclonis thought as the second man began to carry her out of the building, _But…but where are we…how did this happen!_ She thought, paralyzed in his arms as he carried her through a window and out on to a metal fire escape. He rushed down the steps, placing Cyclonis down onto the concrete sidewalk below. She looked up at the towering brick building, watching the orange flames flare though the broken windows. She then looked around at the spectators screaming and gawking at the burning complex. They were all human, but somehow Cyclonis knew she wasn't on Atmos anymore.

"Where is this place?" She asked quietly, rising to her feet.

"Look!" A woman in the crowd exclaimed, pointing to the fire escape, "They saved the boy inside!" she called as the crowd began to cheer. She noted that the man in the black rubber suit was holding on to Aerrow as he began to descend the fire escape. Cyclonis rushed over to him but the man in the blackened suit pulled his mask off and gently pushed her away.

"I'm sorry ma'am but he needs air," He stated sternly, "I'm going to have to ask you to step back."

"He's my…brother," Cyclonis exclaimed, thinking quickly, "So please-" She stated, being seized gently by the wrist.

"Excuse me ma'am," a woman's voice began. The man that had rescued her pulled off his mask to reveal a woman, "But you need to be examined."

"I'm fine," Cyclonis snapped, growling at her as she pulled her hand away.

"Well we're just going to let the EMT decide that," She smiled, gently guiding Cyclonis to a large white, boxy vehicle. Though it was on wheels, it didn't seem as though it had any flight capabilities. Very odd. She sat down at the back of the vehicle, noting that it opened up into a small compartment full of clean medical equipment.

"What's this thing anyway?" Cyclonis asked as she looked around at the vehicle, as a pair of men in blue uniforms poked and prodded at her.

"You get hit on the head in there?" A cute young man asked as he pushed her hair back, looking for a bump or bruise, "This is an ambulance silly."

"Uh…Oh…Okay yeah…I guess I'm just dizzy…from the smoke," Cyclonis smiled, scratching her head.

"You're alright," the young EMT stated with a slight smile, "I don't know about your brother though…and your hair's a bit of a mess…it's a shame too…I bet it was beautiful longer."

"Yeah," She replied, looking down at her singed locks. She wasn't too worried about it though. Finn was going to be upset though, after all she started growing it out for him.

"Are you going to ride with your brother to the hospital?" The EMT asked as they strapped Aerrow to a sliver stretcher and hoisted him into the ambulance.

"Yes of course," Cyclonis replied, nodding her head as he pulled her into the vehicle.

"C-Cy-" Aerrow coughed. His face was filthy and covered in thick ash and his legs looked horribly mangled.

"Shh," She smiled as the vehicle began to move forward, heading towards a hospital or medical facility, "It's going to alright."

"W-where are we?" He asked, looking up to her, "W-what's going on?"

"Just rest now," Cyclonis stated, placing a hand on his face, "It's going to be okay." She stated, looking a little scared and nervous. Truthfully, she didn't think it was going to be okay, at all. Aerrow closed his eyes and faded from consciousness. Cyclonis bit her lip, as she looked down at the fallen sky knight.

"He's going to be alight," The EMT reassured as he gently pulled her away from him. Cyclonis leaned back taking in a deep breath. This strange new place was not any Atmos she knew. She felt no crystal energy pulsing through the earth or air. It seemed as though this place was dead. Even though she was in motion, she felt that the earth here was nothing but a dead rock. Her friends were not here, and Aerrow was badly injured. What was happening in Atmos? Was Anteres going to be okay? What about the other Twilight Knights? What about Finn? All these questions and more buzzed in her head. She couldn't take it anymore, and she broke down. She buried her face in her hands and began to sob.

"It's going to be alright," The EMT began, "We're taking your brother to a hospital as we speak and they're going to fix him up…I promise it's going to be okay." He continued, but this didn't cease her weeping.

If only he had known what she had been through. Back home, she was fighting a loosing war against her aunt, her mother was dead, and as far as everyone else was concerned, she and Aerrow were dead too. This wasn't the far-side, and this wasn't Atmos. Could this have been the strange place Ace had called the _Other-Side_? Where else could it have been?

"If that's the case…it's nothing like he painted it…" She stated quietly to herself, as she looked down at the metal floor of the vehicle.

"What?" The EMT asked. She just smiled and wiped her tears away.

"It's nothing…" She replied, tucking her burnt hair out of her face.

"That's a beautiful ring," He then stated, with a smile, "From your boyfriend? If that's true than congratulations."

"Yeah," Cyclonis replied with a weak smile, "He proposed to me…very recently. I'm sorry…I'm a little disoriented…where exactly are we right now?"

"We'll have them check you out too…" He smiled, "You might have some amnesia. We're in New York City."

"Where?" Cyclonis asked, sounding absolutely lost.

"New York?" He replied raising an eyebrow, "You know…Statue of Liberty, Broadway, the Plaza…there's a Sinatra song about it."

"Oh…" Cyclonis nodded, pretending she had any idea of what he was talking about, "Yeah…New York…"

* * *

**[Message from KC]:** So I'm super sorry I didn't upload last week...I have a sick family member, not to mention I've been working fulltime, and I'm in the process of moving to Maryland...soooo...I've been kinda busy ^^

Anyway so I'm going to leave this all up for your interpretation. Is this the real 'Other-Side' or is it not? I'm going to leave it up to you :P If you don't remember the Other-Side...it's from volume I, when Ace meets Farrah for the first time. ANYWAY so leave a review? Or not, but I do always appreciate them.

Happy Saturday Everypony :3 I'll throw another update at you sometime this week (before Saturday of course...you know, to make up for the week I missed :/)


	74. Chapter 37: All Roads

Chapter XXXVII.

All Roads

"Aerrow please!" He could hear Cyclonis' voice call through what felt like a haze. Her voice sounded muddled, almost like she was calling for him though the wall of another room. He could only make out very blurry colors and shapes, almost as though he was seeing and hearing everything underwater. There was a quick and rapid beeping noise that he could just faintly perceive as well. Several unfamiliar voices were calling out to one another, shouting angrily. He heard Cyclonis as well. She was screaming something at a woman, "You don't understand!" He could hear her call before being dragged away.

"We're losing him!" An unfamiliar woman shouted. Aerrow did feel strange, it was almost as though he was floating. He felt himself grow weaker, and his breathing became more and more shallow until he stopped entirely. Everything went black then. His body felt light, but only for a moment.

Was this what dying felt like? In so many ways it was comforting, yet horrifying at the same time. A white light then filled his vision, erasing the darkness around him. His eyes fluttered open and his vision became less hazy. The space around him was a bright, almost blinding white. In a way, this too was a comfort. It felt like being on the Tempest or Luxirious again.

He looked down at his hands. Everything seemed in order, and he was even dressed in his Twilight Knights' uniform. However Cyclonis was nowhere to be found. He called her name once, and his voice echoed throughout the pristine hallway. He looked down each way, and saw no doors, and no end to either side of the hall. His immediate instinct was to keep walking. He called for Cyclonis again. There was no answer. He walked for what felt like hours before calling out to her one last time. He let out a long and frustrated sigh, just before hearing a very, _very_ familiar sound.

The slight, melodic hum of a tuning fork rung throughout the air. He turned to face the origin of the noise to note the towering, slender figure of a woman that he knew very well. Yseronde, in all her might, was holding a crystalline tuning fork in her hands, still resonating with sound as she strode from the wall she had been gently leaning against. She gave Aerrow a slight smile as she placed her hand on his head, gently tussling his red hair.

"She's not here," Yseronde stated, somewhat sadly as she placed a hand on his back and gestured him to move, "Come…walk with me…"

"My lady…" He finally began after what felt like ages.

"Yseronde is fine," She replied with a warm smile.

"If you don't mind me asking," Aerrow then began, looking down at the floor. He no longer felt it was appropriate to look her in the eye, "Where are we?"

"Valhalla," She replied softly, "Or…rather the _transit of _Valhalla. When a Valkyrie's life has ended…their essences either return to the earth, or they are granted the gift of _true _immortality, and transcend to a different, new life at my side in the kingdom above."

"So why am I here?" Aerrow asked quietly, "…Am I dead?"

"Yes," Yseronde nodded, "And no. You and the guardians are no ordinary mortals. Your death does not absolve your duties as a guardian. You have died, _twice_…and can now never return to life as a mortal."

"What do you mean by that?" Aerrow asked. He wasn't frightened. He knew that he was going to stay alive, and truthfully, he knew why he was here. Though he didn't particularly want to believe it.

"You know," Yseronde replied, looking down at him, "I wonder, with all the knowledge you have of the otherworldly beings, why you would ask such a question?"

"To hear it contradicted!" Aerrow exclaimed, upset and angry at the same time. Yseronde let out a long and frustrated sigh.

"I can not…and _will not_ restore your mortality," Yseronde stated angrily, "You have proven to me time and time again that eight mere mortals can not defeat Cypress without the aid of the gods and their children!"

"There are nine guardians," Aerrow stated, crossing his arms, looking away from her. Yseronde didn't bother to respond to him, "…Why then…with all the power that you do have…would you keep us mortal."

"Because," Yseronde stated, taking Aerrow's face in her hands. She had a sort of hopelessness in her eyes and a slight quiver in her voice, "This world…_these worlds_…their people need to know that no matter what…God is not always the answer. If nine _children _could save the people of this world from extinction, then they would start to believe in a world that can be changed by the power of their own hands. I did not create this world and the beings that inhabit it to be dependant on anyone. A God is not meant to cater to the whims of those they have created. Jevanni and Leto never need my assistance…because I have created them that way.

"I have given humans all the tools they need to strive without me. Although, I do not believe that I have given them the independence they need to use them properly, without asking me to show them how to do so. Many centuries ago…a young Valkyrie believed that since I was not going to be the deity that this world craved, she sought the position herself."

"Cypress," Aerrow asked, quietly, continuing to listen to Yseronde and her story. She nodded in response, and gestured him to continue walking with her.

"She was seduced by the power," She continued, "And lost everything in the process, her purity, her virtue, or morality, and even her own child because of her blind conviction. To rectify this act of blatant arrogance and disrespect, I sought out some of the strongest, brightest, and most powerful fighters in all Atmos in order to defeat her."

"The guardians," Aerrow nodded. She replied with a smile.

"But it was apparent that their superb feats of strength were no enough to defeat Cypress initially. That's when I bestowed my power unto them…making them the guardians that you have become today. I made this decision with great caution. My goal in trying to create these worlds was also to ensure that no man would be any greater than his brother. But equality would not, and will not ever defeat Cypress. Even with the gifts that I gave the former guardians, they were still unable to defeat her…only delay the inevitable."

"Then why don't you," Aerrow asked, "If you could just help us-"

"No!" Yseronde replied with a booming voice like thunder, "My involvement in the worlds I have created must be minimal. Have you not been listening? I will not be there to solve all the world's problems…it's not my cross to bear-"

"That's stupid!" Aerrow exclaimed, almost on the verge of tears, "You are the creator! You made all this…and you're responsible for it happening! Saying that what goes on in Atmos is not your responsibility it's almost like you're abandoning your child! It's stupid and selfish and…and…"

"And you're so angry," Yseronde stated sadly, looking down at Aerrow, "Because of Advent's death, and the circumstances that surround it."

"It's not my place to be angry," Aerrow replied, looking down at the ground, "I don't have any right to be upset about the decisions she made."

"While the reasons may seem insufficient," Yseronde stated after a few moments of silence, "You have to know that Advent made them with the utmost respect for you, and with the highest regards to your wishes."

"Then why doesn't it feel that way?" Aerrow asked, letting his anger out in words for the first time.

"It is highly selfish for you to be feeling this way," She then stated. Aerrow looked up to her in confusion. She let out a slight sigh before continuing, "We higher beings do not have the same parental instincts as humans do. Advent and Cypress hardly loved their own children, let alone anyone else. To my knowledge, Advent didn't really love Cyclonis at all…if anything she felt that her daughter owed her something for bringing her into the world. I always thought it strange that Advent looked after all the Twilight Knights as her own kin. She loved and respected them all equally…but admittedly, coddled you Aerrow. She didn't even care for her own daughter enough to consider her as leader…but yet she respected you enough to train you for the day when you would rule."

"I never thought about it that way…" Aerrow replied. He had though, on several occasions, but it never really bothered him until now.

"She chose Anteres in the event of her death," She continued, "Because they are two halves of the same whole. Advent wanted to ensure that the Twilight Knights would be ran exactly as she dictated. Since she and Anteres share an essence, it clear to her that he was the natural choice."

"So Advent's really gone then?" Aerrow asked quietly, continuing down the hall.

"In a sense yes," Yseronde nodded, "She's here…but can not move on. She can neither die, or be reborn."

"Why's that?" Aerrow asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Her spirit is not complete," Yseronde stated, gesturing Aerrow to look behind him. He turned around to find what looked like a withered old woman, wandering aimlessly around the hall. He could tell just by looking into her face that it was Advent. Her face looked shallow and sunken in, and her delicate pale skin was now wrinkled, sagging, and somewhat grey. Her soft white hair was stringy and had lost all its sheen. Advent was once a proud and beautiful woman, but the woman before him looked pathetic and defeated.

Aerrow extended a hand out to her, but Yseronde took him by the wrist and shook her head. He looked up at her, and took a step back, confused.

"She can't see you…or hear you," Yseronde stated, "She's looking for the missing half of her being. Without it, she is helpless, and will wander around this place, blind and deaf until the day comes when she is reunited with her second half."

"So when the Dark Ace dies," Aerrow began, "She can finally move on."

"That is the way of it," Yseronde replied with a nod. Something about her response made Aerrow think that she was not being truthful with him. He had a sickening feeling in his stomach that Advent was going to be doomed to stay in this place in her current, withered state.

"You said you weren't going to bring me back," Aerrow began to inquire, just before being interrupted by the creator.

"That is not what I said," Yseronde stated, shaking her head, "I said that I would not restore your mortality." Aerrow raised an eyebrow. She smiled and placed her hand on his head, "I am granting you the gift of the Valkyries," She then stated.

"What does that mean?" He asked, bluntly.

"It means," she smiled as his body resonated with a bright, pure light, "That you can not die by the hands of any mortal…Through me, you will be my force of retribution on this earth." She continued. Aerrow felt a surge of power throughout his being, the likes of which he had never felt before. It washed over him as the warm glow pulsed through his body. It was the strangest sensation he had ever felt, but it was a welcome one. She then took her hand away and let the glow fade.

"By no means did I want to give you this gift," Yseronde stated, somewhat darkly, "You are now a Val Kyr, neither human, nor god. Born of man, but have every power and all the knowledge of the Valkyries. In thus, you must abide by their laws. _And _you must use your powers sparingly, and only in the utmost dire circumstances. I trust that I will have no problem with making sure that you do so."

"I promise," Aerrow replied, bowing his head before her. She extended her hand forward and a hazy, pale blue vortex appeared before them.

"One more thing," She stated, just before he headed into the abyss, "You have accrued all the knowledge of the Valkyries…under NO circumstances are you to share what you now know with any mortal."

"I understand," Aerrow replied, with a nod, turning back to the portal.

"Just remember the path that all roads eventually lead to, Aerrow," Yseronde stated, sending him off with one last word of advice, "This world you are about to depart to, is an ugly, ugly place in comparison to the Atmos that you know…so tread carefully." She concluded as Aerrow nodded to her one last time as he stepped towards the portal.

"My lady," He called, turning to her, "I just have one question…" She looked up to him, waiting for him to ask, expectantly, "If the Far-Side lies beyond Atmos, and this world lies beyond the Far-Side…then what lies beyond this world?"

"Nothing," She replied, "The Far-side, is the gate to all other worlds. It is the only link that these worlds I have created share." She concluded as he stepped through the portal.

_All roads lead to the Far-Side_, Her voice resonated though his head as he touched down on the cold ground on the other side of the portal, _All roads lead back to me…_

* * *

"What happened to them!" Ace screamed, turning to the monster behind him. Cypress was laughing in triumph, noting that their bodies had faded from this world. The guardians were incomplete now, and she would be able to eliminate them all, and rule the world in peace.

"You fool," Cypress then stated, her demeanor growing darker and darker, "They are gone…there is nothing you can do to bring them back."

"You monster!" He screamed, lunging towards her, his dark claws extended as he leapt towards the beast. Two of the oily, dark arms dove towards him, wrapping around his arms and holding him back, "They…were my friends!" He shrieked, pulsing with dark, static energy.

"Did I strike a nerve," Cypress smiled, gilding towards him, and lifting his chin with her finger, "First your precious Advent…now Aerrow and Cyclonis…I bet you're just livid right now."

"Let him go!" A voice commanded just after Cypress had been struck at the back of her head. She turned around, with a wicked and wild look on her face as she released her grip on Ace.

"Starling what are you doing!" He commanded, rising to his feet, "Get out of here! Now!" He exclaimed, noting the violet haired Sky Knight, clutching to her nunchucks.

"I won't leave you behind!" She exclaimed, as the Twilight Knights began to retreat, skimmers flying overhead by the dozens.

"Get out of here!" He commanded.

"Not without you!" She exclaimed, jumping out of the way of a mighty swing of Cypress' great arms. She rushed towards him, taking him by the arm and moving to pull him away from the great monster.

"Oh…this is interesting…" Cypress smiled, drifting towards the pair, "All this time…I thought you had feelings for the little druid girl…but as I can now see, your heart belongs to her."

"Don't you touch her!" Ace exclaimed, stepping out in front of Starling.

"You made a grave mistake in coming back for your lover, my dear," She stated, turning to Starling, "I hope you have made peace Twilight Knights…you die today."

"Move!" Ace exclaimed, seizing Starling by her arm and dragging her across the airstrip. His ride was sitting at the end of the strip, but it seemed like it was miles away. Just as they reached it, one of the thick black tentacles slithered up next to it, lifting it into the air and throwing it over the edge. Both of them watched hopelessly as the vehicle fell down into the wastelands.

"Nowhere to run…" Cypress laughed, crossing her arms. She was taunting them, like an animal tormenting its prey. Ace took Starling in his arms, gripping tightly to her. She closed her eyes, thinking that he was bracing them both for their impending fate. However, to both her surprise and Cypress', Ace clutched Starling almost to the point where she could hardly breathe, and dove off the ship.

"WHAT!" Cypress exclaimed, as she watched the pair fall, they had fallen out of her reach by this point.

"What are you doing!" Starling shrieked, as they fell farther and father down.

"You're just going to have to trust me!" Ace exclaimed over the sound of the wind violently whipping through their ears. She nodded as she closed her eyes and clutched tightly to his arms, grinding her teeth as she waited for their abrupt end. However it never came. She opened her eyes to note that they had stopped falling, and rather, they were now moving forward. She looked up and noticed that a huge, grey, great horned owl was gripping the collar of Ace's uniform with its talons. She let out a long sigh of relief.

"Cloud!" Starling exclaimed. She had never been so happy to see the druid in her entire life. She didn't move, or even acknowledge Starling's greeting, she just continued on flying. She was grateful that Cloud had stopped to save them, but she had a feeling that had Ace not been holding on, Cloud would have left her falling.

She dropped both Ace and Starling down on to the ground in some remote part of the wastelands. All the other knights involved in the battle were there as well, including most of those that stayed behind in Lumina City. They all looked battered and bruised, worn by battle. They all looked at Ace and Starling with worry as Cloud changed back into her humanoid form.

They all knew what had happened, once they noted that Aerrow and Cyclonis were not present. However none of them chose to believe it. They all waited for their new leader to reassure them that they were on their way. Ace looked down at the ground and clenched his fist. It shouldn't have happened. It should have been him.

Finn was the first of the group to step forward. He really didn't want to hear it, by denying it wasn't going to make the situation any better either.

"It's not true is it?" He asked. Ace didn't even need to tell him anything. He just knew, "Tell me it's not true…"

"I'm sorry," Ace replied, shaking his head, "There was nothing I could do…"

"No…" Piper cried, burying her face in Junko's chest as she began to weep. The wallop wrapped his large arms around his friend as she sobbed. The others began to tear up as well. First Advent had been lost, now them. Who was next? To most of them, Aerrow was a friend, and Cyclonis was a leader. They hadn't known a life without them. Ace couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for their deaths.

"What do we do now?" Nova asked, walking towards Ace. He didn't know how to respond. At this moment, Cypress' troops were storming the city, and no doubt taking it in the name of her empire. They had nowhere to run.

"I don't know," Ace replied. The group watched him in silence. He was going over every possible outcome in his head, but every scenario ended in their inevitable demise.

"Do we have any means of transport left?" He asked softly, turning to the vastly diminished squadron.

"Ey!" Captain Scabulous nodded. He gestured Ace to the blood crow. It was in bad shape, but nothing that they couldn't fix.

"Good," Ace nodded, "Lets get this thing in working order. We'll head to the Caylo Isles…at the moment they're serving no purpose to the empire other than a checkpoint and PSR," He continued, gesturing everyone to follow him on to the blood crow, "No one will look for us there. Especially given that it's imperial occupied territory."

"So we're just running away!" Nova exclaimed, turning to Ace. All the knights looked up at her, and then to him. Ace had an angry and frustrated look about him.

"We're retreating," He replied sternly.

"Advent called that something else," Nova replied angrily, "She called it running away!" She continued.

"Advent isn't here!" Ace exclaimed. The group was silent as they waited for him to speak. It had only been a few hours and yet the stress of the job was already getting to him, "I'm sorry…but we can't afford to lose anyone else today." He stated, becoming more calm.

"Mas-" Jean began with Aida in tow. Ace shot Jean a stern look before he could finish the address. He had made his stance on the word _Master_ very clear, "Anteres…ze ship is not in any condition to be flying very zoon."

"It's going to take us a few hours before we can get the blood crow airborne," Aida stated with a look of concern on his face, "We're going to have to use all the manpower we have…and I still don't know if that will be enough to have the ship ready in time."

"Do everything you can," Ace stated, nodding towards the two engineers. He then turned to Stork, "You're one of the fastest engineers I know and they're going to need all the help they can get…go!" He commanded. Stork nodded and followed after the pair into the dark engine room of the pirate vessel.

"What of Cypress finds us down here?" Cyrus asked quietly as she walked up to Ace. She was speaking in a hushed tone as so no one would hear.

"Most likely," Ace began, "She will…but I am holding out hope that she returns to New Atmosia and leaves us be for now. This broken squadron…has suffered far too much today to go through _another_ battle. I am desperate enough, at this point, to pray to anyone who will listen."

* * *

**[Message from KC]: **Hello! There will be an update on Saturday as well, I promise! I did say there was going to be an extra update this week and here it is. Also…uh…Kingdom has some pretty big _**BIG**_ news.

Nerd Corps, yeah you know that little animation company that made this show. It was called Storm Hawks, you might have heard of it? Well, they emailed me. And though, nothing is really going to come of it, the firm actually took the time to send me an email about what I've written. And basically what I wanted to say to all of you guys is this:

We are four chapters and the epilogue away from the end of volume II. Thank you all so much. For all the reviews, the support, the feedback, enough to keep this story going for two volumes now, and going on a third. Without your immense support, I don't know that Nerd Corps would have even recognized that this story even existed. You guys are the best. So with that, thank you for the support, and I will see you all on Saturday.

Happy Wednesday Everypony!


	75. Chapter 38: Far Child

Chapter XXXVIII.

Far Child

"Hunt them down," Cypress hissed, looming over the edge of the airstrip. Her lackeys had congregated behind her, returning to the battle cruiser once the other twilight knights had retreated from the fight, "Even if you have to overturn the entire wastelands."

"Master," Meno stated, keeping a safe distance from the monstrous woman, "With two of the guardians gone…don't you think that this war is over?"

"This war is over," Cypress hissed, turning around to face Meno, "When I say it's over!" She concluded, "I want _all _of the guardians dead before the day is out! Am I clear!" They all nodded in understanding, "Once they're out of the picture, we'll have a public execution of every twilight knight, resistance fighter, and consortium…we'll set an example for this empire. No one will rise up against me ever again. Or I will cull every terra that still has a living creature slithering on its earth."

She then slid away from her lieutenants, gliding back inside the ship and leaving her trusted warriors alone on the airstrip. They exchanged looks of concern and worry.

"I believe that out beloved master has lost her head," Anaxagoras stated, rather nonchalant. Meno shot him a dirty look and Anaxagoras shrugged. Like he cared what Meno actually thought.

"She's become so blinded by her hatred for the Twilight Knights," Noah then added, trying to diffuse the tension between the highest ranking officers, "That she doesn't even care that she's now the queen of the entire Atmos."

"I fear what's lost," Meno stated, staring with a lost and torn expression on her face, "Is lost forever…"

"Master Cypress isn't _lost_," Anaxagoras scoffed, his nose in the air, "And I fail to see the issue in our current situation…We've won. That's all that should matter." He added with a slight laugh as he looked over the side of the airstrip and down into his new kingdom.

She rolled her eyes and clenched her fists angrily, storming back into the hangar bay. Anaximander's pale blue eyes watched her carefully as she rushed out of eyesight. But Meno had quite enough of Anaxagoras and his lackadaisical attitude towards her beloved master and her descent into madness. Furthermore, it didn't seem like Cypress particularly cared that he had been behind her back, mocking her while she was afflicted by such a state. And, for whatever reason, this seemed to bother Meno more than it did Cypress.

Although, perhaps given her new status as absolute ruler of Atmos, it made her care even less about what anyone had thought of her and her monstrous appearance. Even if people had spoken ill of Cypress, she would be sure to set them straight.

Regardless of any of this, the odd fact was it burned away at Meno's insides. The pit of her stomach filled with a hot fire every time Anaxagoras dared to speak in front of her, and bitter anger was all she felt towards the man. And why not? She had always been at Cypress's side, long before the triplets, and long after them, she was sure. Had it not been for Meno, and the work she had done, Cypress would not have been resurrected at all. Without her, Cypress would have remained nothing more than a hollow, dying crystal. It wasn't fair. She had always done so much for Cypress. What had Anaxagoras done? Or his brothers? Or Noah, and those traitors?

She clenched her fists as she looked out the large glass windows within the hangar, watching Anaxagoras, the pompous peacock, spouting out orders to the lesser officers. She bit her lip as she repressed the idea of the inevitable reality in her head. She knew, as did everyone else, that Anaxagoras was soon to be king.

Though he was not the father of Farrah, or Cain, he was the only other man to have carnal knowledge of their god-queen. Knowing that fact was enough to intimidate the other men of Atmos into laying down their metaphorical arms, and giving up on trying to become a suitor themselves. That being said, now Cypress could have any man in the Atmos just by snapping her fingers. However, it was made clear that she wanted him, and that alone infuriated Meno.

It was just time to wait now. Meno let out another long sigh. She was sure that Cypress would forget about the Twilight Knights in a few days once she sat comfortably as queen. Anaxagoras would then be coronated, and that would be the end of it. She would become "The Queen's most Trusted Advisor", and his brothers would become lords. She was never going to be recognized for her accomplishments, and she was just going to have to suffer through it.

Still, why had Cypress chosen her to complete the task of resurrecting her body and spirit from the far-side? Why would she have sought her out of Cypress didn't think anything more of her? Meno was of no great significance, at least she didn't see herself that way. Come to think of it, she didn't really know much about herself or her past. Her friends, family, and home were all a blur. She didn't know the terra she had grown up on, or even the names of her parents, let alone what they looked like.

She knew quite enough about the other lieutenants. Noah grew up in the Caylo isles, and the triplets were born on terra Venizia. Cypress herself was an Arch-Valkyr before being banished to Atmos alongside Advent. Both of them were meant to rule Cyclonia in peace, but as anyone on Atmos will say, that didn't go as the gods had planned.

But this still made her question why she failed to recall any memories of her family or life. Truthfully, this had been a burden Meno was carrying for some time, but it always seemed that there were better things for her to focus her attention on. And for the past few decades, these awful people she had grown to despise became the only family she'd ever really known.

"Meno," Anaximander called in a listless and flat attitude. She turned to him with a dull look in her eye, noting that he was standing, rather poised, under the opened hatch leading out on to the airstrip, "My brother requests your-"

"Your brother," Meno interrupted with a voice like needles, "Can die for all I care! He holds no rank above me until Cypress says otherwise…I answer to her and her only," She was sick of being ordered around by him, but that was no reason to lash out as his brother. She let out another long sigh, "I…forgive me…"

"No need to apologize," Anaximander replied, very matter of factly, as he always did. Meno was drawn to that about him, and yet she was also unsettled by his lack of emotion, "Anaximenes and I have lived in our older brother's shadow our entire life. I understand the reasoning behind the disdain he accumulates."

"Yes," Meno replied with a slight smile as she turned away from him. Anaximander nodded and stepped inside of the hangar and the hatch sealed behind him. Through the glass she could see Anaximenes climbing on to his skimmer, with Noah climbing on behind him. Obviously, at Anaxagoras' command, "I just have a difficult time respecting him…or in appreciating his greed…he takes everything that…" She continued, finding that she could not complete her thought.

"That he feels entitled too," Anaximander stated, blankly. Meno turned and nodded to him. That was not what she had been thinking, but it was close enough, "He simply substituted you for myself, and Anaximenes." Meno stopped. She was shocked to hear anyone say so, but it was nice to her Anaxagoras' accomplishments contradicted.

"You truly believe that?" Meno asked, her eyes narrowed, skeptical of his beliefs and motivation.

"I have no doubt," He replied with a slight nod, "You are a commendable commander, and I prefer you as leader. I should think that you would be at Cypress' right hand, but given her relationship to my brother, it is no surprise that she chose him."

"Yes," Meno nodded, striding over to the large glass wall, looking out over Atmos, "He gets everything he wants…doesn't he? The glory…the country, the crown, and her…"

"Pardon?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Meno gently craned her neck to look at him, and shook her head in dismissal.

"It's nothing," Meno replied. But at that moment, a wild idea struck her. She stared at Anaximander out of the corner of her eye and a slight smile made its way across her face, "Just…don't you think that their relationship is…unacceptable?"

"There is no rule that states we can not take a lover," Anaximander stated, bowing his head slightly, "Nor stating that we can not fraternize."

"But don't you think it's unfair that the other lieutenants are knee deep in the trenches," Meno continued, beginning to circle him, like a vulture to a corpse, "And they are off doing god knows what-"

"We all know what they happen to be doing Meno," Anaximander stated, staring straight forward, eyes glossy and somewhat dead, "That is obvious…"

"I think it hardly encourages professionalism," Meno then stated, looking irritated with him.

"She can do as she wishes with whomever she chooses," He then added, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"That being the case," Meno stated, crossing her arms, "What is stopping either of us from taking a lover of our own?"

"Excuse me!" Anaximander began, showing emotion for the first time that she had ever seen. He seemed outright flustered by the question, and Meno couldn't help but laugh. Whether he was emotionally dead inside, or not, he was still a man.

"Well I can't help but find this suspicious," Meno then stated, "You coming her and praising my accolades as a leader. You can only have one of two motivations, either you truly respect me and have waited until now to bring up the subject, or you've come to coax me into something…"

"You chose to bring up the subject of lovers," He stated, looking away from her, "Not I."

"Then why do you continue to speak with me?" Meno replied, somewhat angrily, "If you have nothing better to say other than to relay orders…then leave."

"I am sorry," He then stated after a few moments of silence, "But I do not have the gift of conversing easily with anyone. I have always had an admiration for you Meno…but it was never my place to-"

"I understand," Meno replied, placing her fingertips on his mouth. He quivered, and she looked down at the ground. She then pulled her hand away from his lips. This wasn't right. Just because she was angry with his brother, didn't mean she should enact her revenge on Anaxagoras, "And know I can't."

"Why?" He asked as she headed away from him. She stopped, and turned to him. She looked angry.

"I just can't," She replied, leaving the hangar as she descended the levels of the ship and into the underbelly. She just needed to escape.

Part of her was in a rage, and the other was confused. Why did she not know of his intentions before? But then again, Anaximander never showed his feelings to his brothers. But she wasn't sure if she had wanted him in return. He was handsome, but all three brothers were. Though, Anaxagoras' undeserved sense of superiority and Anaximenes' cowardice made them significantly less attractive. But she wanted none of them, she was set on a prize she would not have.

She leaned against the wall nearest to her, and clenched her fists. She found herself becoming angrier and angrier with each passing day. It was odd, she had always been a fierce warrior, but never emotional. Though, her side had won this war, shouldn't she be happy? But then again, she wasn't sure that anyone on her side knew what happiness was. Pleasures of the moment, yes, but never happiness.

"Meno!" Cypress screeched through the loudspeakers of the ship, "Come to the command bridge…I need you!"

Meno didn't want to though. Usually she had no problem with rushing to her Master's aid. However, she usually felt as though it was because she was needed, and not just because. She just felt like a lapdog by this point, and she felt that the feeling was going to stay. Regardless, she headed up to Cypress' pseudo-throne room in the flight deck and strode towards her master.

"You called for me?" Meno began, bowing before her.

"I need you," Cypress began, looking out into the storming void before her, "to go out into the wastelands and find the youngest of the guardians."

"You mean Sora?" Meno inquired, raising an eyebrow, "Why her? What about the two that were-"

"Silence!" Cypress boomed, staring down at her with harsh red eyes, "Aerrow and my niece are dead…" She continued, leaning her head in her hand, "There is nothing that can be done for either of them…" Meno stayed silent for a moment.

"Why Sora?" Meno demanded. Cypress sneered at her insolence, but dismissed it.

"I just need you to find her," Cypress continued, darkly as though she knew something Meno did not. Most likely, this was true, "Everything will be clear soon."

* * *

Meno stormed through the wastelands, several hours later. She had a small troupe of nightcrawler soldiers, small gangly things, but enough to take down Sora and a few others, should they be alone. Not to mention she had been weakened by the strange properties of the obsidian.

She let out another long sigh. Why had she been sent to do this? Where had Anaxmenes, and Noah ran off too anyway? Shouldn't they have been charged with this task? They needed to start pulling their weight more anyway. But she supposed that this meant Cypress had faith that she would complete the task quickly and efficiently.

She passed by several wreckages of the Twilight Knights' transports and skimmers (what few they had anyway). They had gone by now, that is, if they had managed to get the Captain's ship in a working order in time. She had no doubt that the Blood Crow would have been flying in a matter of hours. The Twilight Knights had some of the most outstanding engineers in Atmos, just in the primary squadron.

"Stop," Meno then exclaimed, as her troupe halted behind her. Something didn't feel right. A soft wind blew through the barren clearing as Meno held up her hand, gesturing her battalion to stay still. The sound of a whirring arrow pierced the air, and Meno jumped back as the crystal-tipped weapon plunged into the ground at her feet. She let out a slight scream as the ground pulsed with the crystal's energy, electrocuting everyone in the vicinity. A thick black cloud of smoke then exploded through the clearing, making it impossible for Meno or her troupe to see anything.

"What the hel-" Meno began, before being clubbed over the head. Her vision went black as she fell to the ground with a thud. The two assailants then lifted her off of the ground before the troupe of nightcrawlers could even regain their bearings. When the smoke cleared, the attackers, and Meno were gone.

"Master Cypress will have our heads for this…" The largest of the crawlers hissed in fear as the others looked to one another in a panic. It would have been best if they didn't return to the citadel, so they fled. Meno wasn't their problem anymore.

Meanwhile, Meno awoke from the incident several hours later. She shook her head and her vision came into focus. She was sitting within one of the halls to the Blood Crow, not knowing where her actual location was. She looked up to notice every still living Twilight Knight, staring her down as she awoke.

"Good work," Ace then began, turning to Ravess and Starling, who nodded in appreciation, "And now that you're here…" He stated, stepping towards Meno. However, before he could finish the thought, she spit in his face. Ace was taken aback, but nothing she could do given her current state would harm him. She was trapped behind thick metal bars, that were seemingly charged by some sort of crystal. Whatever it was, it was a deep orange color, and it was blisteringly hot within the cage.

"What do you want from me?" Meno demanded, sitting down within the cell, and crossing her arms contemptuously, "And how did you know where to find me! Or even that I'd be coming."

"Please," Nova snapped, crossing her arms, "You Imperialist pigs are so easy to figure out…"

"We knew you'd be coming for us," Stork then stated, glaring over at the cell, "It was only a matter of time."

"Figured the last thing an officer like you would expect was a preemptive strike," Ace stated, crossing his arms and smiling at her, "I have to say…Of all Cypress' lapdogs, I'm kinda glad it was you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Meno asked, laughing slightly, raising an eyebrow at Ace.

"It means you know the most about Cypress and her operation," Ace snapped. He was in no mood for games, especially not from her, "So either you help us…or die. Your choice."

"I'd rather die than help a Twilight Knight," She replied angrily.

"That's not what I saw," Finn stated. He looked terrible. He was pale, and his eyes looked bloodshot, but then again, receiving the news that one's fiancée had died would do that to a person, "You didn't seem to have a problem with helping us on Heissigaurt. I bet Cypress would love to hear about that." He seemed even stronger than before, but that was because he now had a newfound drive in his hatred for the Imperials.

"I…" Meno began. She had been railroaded, and she knew that. She let out another sigh, "Fine…what do you want?" She hissed through the bars of the cage. Ace nodded and gestured them to open the cell. Meno knew that she couldn't take the entire squadron, maybe some of them, but not all. She would surely fail of she tried to retaliate.

Snipe and Junko pulled the woman from the cell, holding her firmly by the arms. Meno growled as she struggled to break free. She shot them both hateful stares as they released her. She noted she was now standing in front of Sora, laying down on a mat on the floor. Piper and Cloud were kneeling at both ends, Piper gently gripping to Sora's ankles as Cloud's hands were firmly placed on her head. The druid was giving off a pale green light, that extended to the girl, though Cloud's efforts appeared to be fruitless. The sight of Sora alone was enough to stop Meno in her tracks.

She looked thinner, and more inhuman, with her features more shallow and sunken in. Her skin looked as though it had been fused with obsidian, like the dark substance was clinging to her bones. Meno stared down at her in fear. Something struck a chord inside her while looking at the girl. A sudden, deep, disturbing feeling overtook her person, and judging by the look on her face, the Twilight Knights had their answer.

"What's wrong with her?" Ace demanded. Meno turned to him, shaking her head and grasping her forehead.

"Why would I know?" She replied, still looking frightened, and yet she didn't know why. He seized her by the arm, and forced her to look him in the eye.

"That's not an answer," Ace stated quietly, and firmly. His hand was still gripping her upper arm, and she violently pushed him away.

"There's nothing I can do for her," Meno then screeched, taking a step away from Sora. She looked around her to note that every knight had a weapon drawn. She took a deep breath and then knelt down next to Sora. She didn't know what they wanted her to do, but she must have been their best bet to save the girl. She placed a hand on Sora's arm.

Immediately upon touching the possessed teen, Meno's body seized and she let out a piercing scream. Everyone stood in silence as they waited for something more to happen. The hull of the ship filled with a blinding bright light. Meno peeled herself up off the ground. She looked at her surroundings, noting that she was in a bright white expanse, though the ground below her was cracked and sundered, peering into an inky, black expanse. Her eyes widened as she stared up at the massive, towering obsidian door, looming above her.

What was happening! Was this why Cypress had commanded that she come here? How could she have done this to her!

"W-what's going on…" Sora grumbled, peeling off the ground behind Meno. She appeared completely normal now. But this didn't set Meno anymore at ease. The door then slid open, revealing nothing but a black expanse, "W-where am I?" She then cried, looking around the expanse and then to Meno. It was almost as if Sora was a child again, that is, she was certainly acting like it.

"I…don't know…" Meno replied, staring into the darkness, "We're…home, Sora." She then stated, moving towards the door.

"W-what are you talking about!" Sora then wailed, "I'm scared! I want Ace! I'm scared!" She kept crying, but Meno couldn't hear her. It was as though being sent to this expanse enlightened her, and she knew the answers to all the questions plaguing her and her existence.

She stood under the opening looking up at the door. She couldn't find the strength within herself to pass through the portal though. She found that she couldn't breathe as hundreds of pairs of cold, shallow, glowing green eyes opened within the void. She then let out a growl of frustration as she fell to her knees, slamming her fists against the ground.

"You bitch!" Meno exclaimed, as Sora backed away in fear, and the hundreds of eyes stayed locked on the two.

"Who are you talking to?" Sora demanded, her voice stricken with fear.

"Don't you get it?" Meno then stated, rising to her feet, "You stupid…stupid girl. It explains everything…why you're a symbology prodigy…why I can attune crystals to my body without the needing the binding…as I presume you can do the same."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked quietly, still keeping a safe distance from the door.

"We're not human Sora…we're not anything," Meno continued, staring into the void, "Didn't you ever think about why you don't remember anything about your life before you lived on terra wyndia? Why you don't have parents…and how you got there in the first place? I always did…and it took me until now to realize it. We're children of the Far-Side. We don't belong in this world." She stated, darkly and a bit sadly as several dozen thick, black, arms plunged from the void, seizing Meno with their shadowy hands.

"Meno NO!" Sora exclaimed, diving towards the woman, just before they violently pulled her into the blackness.

"Just so you know," Meno stated quickly, before she was wrenched inside, "You can use the properties of the Obsidian against Cypress…I trust you…" She finished, bowing her head. She was then dragged into the void. The doors to the gate then slammed shut behind her, and Sora rushed to the sealed gate. She threw her hands against the door, and tried to pry the gate open, but to no avail.

"No…" Sora wailed, "Bring her back! I need to know! I need to understand!" She cried, sitting down on the ground before the door, looking up at the looming, black, gate. She felt as though it was mocking her, holding the answers to a past she never understood. She buried her face in her hands for just a moment. She looked up and noticed that she was back in the hull of the Blood Crow. The only people that remained within the ship's underbelly were who remained of the guardians.

"Sora!" Piper exclaimed, rushing towards her, and wrapping her arms around her, "Are you alright! What happened to you? What happened to Meno!"

"What's going on?" Stork them asked, looking all too confused and frightened as he turned to Ace. Ace let out a slight sigh, and looked to those who remained.

"We need to talk," Ace replied, gesturing them all to follow him.

* * *

**[Message from KC]:** Hey everyone! It's really awesome to be back! Uhm I hope you guys enjoy the update. Obviously my new laptop is here and everything is right with the world!

If you guys didn't read in my last update, I'm still doing the promote your own fic. Just send me a PM or make a mention of it in the reviews :3 I will be happy to read and review it, and make a mention about it in the next chapter!

Also, thank you to all of you who added myself and this story to their favorites/alerts during my period without a computer. If I didn't send you a message saying thank you already, than thank you (same goes to those who reviewed but I neglected to reply to...sorry T.T)  
Anyway, review? They always mean a lot to me, and I promise I'll reply this time around XD. I'd really love to reach 300 by the end of volume II, which really only has three chapters yet to go, so that'd be super awesome :D

So glad to be back! Happy Saturday Everypony!


	76. Chapter 39: Closing the Open Door

Chapter XXXIX.

Closing the Open Door

"It's time you all knew," Ace began, leaning over a table within the captain's chamber, "About some of the things Advent was keeping from us…from you."

He, and who remained of the guardians stood within the large cabin. The captain had temporarily surrendered it to Ace, that was, only until the war was over and he could resume his life as a raider. The disrespect and submission to the Twilight Knights was an ample sacrifice in order to end the war. Though, Ace felt as though the Captain's extended courtesy was solely out of respect for the late Advent, and anything else was just obligatory.

"…About the black gate, the far-side, and what lies beyond it," Ace continued, looking up at their confused faces.

"How long have you known things that we didn't?" Piper asked quietly. Ace didn't respond immediately. He took a deep breath and stood up straight.

"I think I've known for quite some time now," Ace replied, "I just didn't want to think any of it was true."

"Start talking," Stork replied, glaring over at him as he leaned over the table. He had never trusted Ace, not because of anything he had done in the past, but mostly for the secrets he had suspected that he had been keeping for Advent. But this moment merely confirmed his suspicions.

"The far side," Ace began, taking out one of the recovered books from Advent's library, "Isn't the end of Atmos…" He continued, looking towards Sora, who still looked scared and confused, "It's a bridge between worlds."

"What is that?" Piper asked, looking into the worn cover of the thick book that Ace held in his hands.

"It's a journal…" He stated, placing the old book on the table before them, "A research diary from someone by a woman named Artemis…from what little I've read from it…she was a Valkyrie…and she was close with Advent and Cypress. She spent a lot of time researching the far-side against Jevanni's orders."

"Why would she care?" Finn asked furrowing his brow as he looked down at the diary, "I mean don't the Valkyries have knowledge of the Far-Side already?"

"Evidently not," Cloud replied, turning to him.

"She also worked closely with the nine original guardians," Ace continued, commanding the attention once more, "Apparently she was using their help to…"

"To what?" Junko then asked, breaking the silence as Ace continued to scan the pages, his face looking more confused by the second.

"…not sure how I missed this…" He said quietly to himself.

"What!?" Sora commanded.

"She was using the power of the triad to tear open rifts to the far-side," Ace then stated, "Rifts that couldn't be closed without the guardians' power."

"What else does it say?" Piper demanded, taking the book from Ace. He gave her an annoyed look, but she was too focused on the book to notice.

"It seemed like it was written in some sort of code," Ace stated, "A lot of the language is confusing…the research portion anyway…it was as if she didn't want anyone else to read it."

"If she was involved in something Jevanni was against," Stork then stated, turning to him, "Then she probably wanted to keep her research a secret…but what does this have to do with us?"

"Here," Piper stated, after vigorously skimming through the book, her hands shaking slightly, "It says here," Piper began, clearing her voice and reading the fading passage, "Advent has provided me with the funding and materials I need to continue my research. I am so thankful that she is on such good standing with the great mother and Jevanni, and the rest of the valkyrian council. Without her good reputation and resources, my efforts may have been all for naught. Her mysterious sister seems to have taken an interest in my research as well, though I have never met or seen Cypress yet. It almost seems like the two are the same person for I've never once seen them together, and no one else has either.

Regardless, with funding coming from both women, I have more than enough to complete my crystal research as well…I can't make out the rest of this page…it's all jibberish…" She continued, thumbing through the other pages, "These must be research notes…wait…here's another diary entry…

This morning, I was informed that Advent and her Twilight Knights have been tasked with housing the guardians while they defeat the darkness plaguing the land. Not that I wish to take advantage of the situation…but they might be exactly what I need to gain better access to the far-side, and what I only suspect, lies beyond. I can not continue my research without being able to access that point in our world. I need to confirm what I believe I already know. However, despite Jevanni's adamant attitude against the sister's support, and Cypress and Advent locked in a war, funding from both sides has continued to come my way…

Wait…This is interesting…" Piper continued, after several moments of thumbing towards a few, newer looking pages, "These notes look like they were written recently…or well…more recently than the others."

"What do they say?" Cloud asked quietly.

"…After several centuries of the first guardians passing, Advent has brought the new crop of guardians to my attention. Finally! I can continue my research! The only artifact I have located that allowed me access to the far side, was that insufferable door, left behind by the dark god. But seeing as how the former Cyclonian empress destroyed it two years ago, I have had to find other means of entering…This part isn't clear either…this Artemis woman really didn't want anyone knowing what she was doing…

Anyway…it goes on to say this; One of the guardians, as Advent has brought to my attention…is…a far-child. I thought that they were just a myth, as I have never seen one, but the young scientist happens to be exactly what I need. She seems to be able to access the far side, without the need of the door, the reliquary, or anything else. I do wish Advent would let her under my wing for a just a month or two, but evidently she is needed in the war…But still, Advent has provided me with more than enough for my pursuit of knowledge. I suspect that under her guidance…this war between her sister will be over soon, and we can…"

"Piper?" Cloud asked, taking a step towards her, as Piper leaned back in a chair, tears hanging in her eyes, "What is it…"

"We can leave Atmos behind forever," Piper stated, trying hard to read the pages, "And the two of us can live our lives out together in peace…free to love one another without the council down our throats. Though Advent felt conflicted about leaving her squadron behind, and using the guardians that she gained trust from, eventually she warmed up to the idea of living in the new world were our love may have been accepted…I only hope that we can leave this world, and the pathetic beings that live in it behind…" She concluded, placing the book on the table and burying her face in her hands.

"It's…not true…" Junko began with a slight laugh as he shook his head, "No…Advent…she cared about us way too much to…"

"Tell us that this isn't true…" Cloud began softly, walking up to Ace. He replied, looking down at the floor. This was sufficient enough for all of them.

"Why am I not surprised…" Stork then stated, rising to his feet, "Atmos' best interest…my ass-"

"HEY!" Finn shouted, jumping up from the table. He didn't say anything after that. He really wanted to defend Advent, but couldn't think of anything to say in her defense. After all, she was the mother of his future wife, he still held respect for her…for that. Finn bit his lip and turned away from them all. Stork didn't add anything after that. After all, Finn and Piper were having it hard enough, he didn't want to rub salt in the wound.

"So when the coast was clear…she was just going to leave us," Stork then stated, turning to Ace. He nodded in response.

"It's why she was training Aerrow," Ace added, somberly, "She needed someone to take care of the Twilight Knights when she left."

"What about Cyrus…" Piper then asked, showing the heart on her sleeve, "Did she know about this?"

"No," Ace replied, shaking his head, "She doesn't…and she won't! Everything I tell you, doesn't leave this room? Understand?"

"I think the others should know," Stork stated, taking the worn journal off of the table, "They have a right to know about what Advent was really like."

"No…" Ace replied, pulling it back from his hands, "Absolutely not…not now anyway. The rest of the Twilight Knights need to remember Advent as their hero…at least until this war is over. Once Cypress is defeated, we can tell them whatever you want."

"Well what do we do now?" Sora asked quietly, "I'm scared Anteres…what happens now?"

"We find Cypress," Ace then stated, "We go to the Far-Side…find her, and kill her. I'm tired of fighting…tired of lying , of keeping secrets…I just want this to be over…and no time like the present." He continued, unsheathing the blade on his back, "We may be down two guardians…but Sora's brought someone back from the far-side before…and she can do it again."

"But I don't remember how," She began walking up behind him. Ace turned, gave Sora a weak smile, and placed his hand on her shoulder. She gave him a weak smile back. She had to try.

* * *

"Have you lost your damned minds!?" Nova commanded, as the entire remaining squadron stood outside of the wrecked ship, watching as the last seven guardians assisted Sora in her preparation to open the door once more, "Why in the name of the Goddess would you want to go back to that horrible place!?"

"It's not your concern Nova," Ace then stated, walking towards the woman, "All I ask is that you let me do my job as squadron leader."

"Not if it means running a suicide mission!" Nova hissed, glaring up at him, "If you wanna go into the Far-Side than that's your prerogative, but don't risk the lives of the only guardians we have left!"

"This isn't negotiable Nova," Ace replied, "Now…you can fight me on this, or you can stay behind and look after the Twilight Knights like I commanded. The choice is yours," Nova took a long, deep, and angry breath. She looked up at him as Ace walked towards Sora, who was preparing herself.

"Are you sure you all want to go through with this?" Nova asked, turning to the guardians that were left behind. They all nodded in agreement. Truthfully speaking, none of them had much left to live for anyway. Cypress, and Advent had taken away what little they had in life, and what little lives they had as well. The way they saw it, if they died in the far side, things couldn't get much worse than that.

Cypress already ruled most of Atmos, Advent was dead, and in addition to that, they learned that she wasn't the saint they had believed her to be. Aerrow was gone, and so was Cyclonis, and Sora had discovered that she was a tainted far-side creature. There wasn't much in their favor. Yes, dying would be rubbing salt in their already gaping wounds, but it couldn't get much worse than that. Other than themselves, they had nothing to lose.

"Are you ready?" Ace asked, standing alongside Sora as she looked down at the massive chalk symbol on the ground.

"Yeah," She nodded, clapping the dust off of her hands. Junko and Finn pushed one of the large, stolen crystals into place on the chalk symbol.

"Careful," Piper called softly, "You don't want to damage the lines…"

"They're fine…" Finn snapped, glaring up at her. Piper looked down at the ground, and Finn ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a sigh as he did so, "I'm sorry…" He then stated, walking up alongside her.

"It's okay," She replied with a smile as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's go," Ace then stated, turning to Sora as she knelt down on the dry and barren earth, placing her hands on the chalky symbol.

The ground began to rumble slightly, as the space around the remaining guardians turned a deep violet color, and the chalk symbol began to glow. The crystal pontoons that the men had placed, as Sora's power source, burned with a hot, white light, and dissolved, assimilating into the symbol. The seven fighters held their breath as they felt the planes of reality shift.

The light grew and engulfed the figures standing within the symbol, and the violet light filled the air around them. The space was silent, and it felt as though all the air had dissipated, and as though they had been separated from their physical bodies. Outside of the ring, the other Twilight Knights stared into the light, afraid of what it may or may not bring. It was truly the first time that they had felt fearful, for Advent wasn't there to protect them. The light brought forth a cold wind that chilled the very souls of the knights looking into the void. And then came a sound.

It was distant, at first, like it was miles and miles away, but came closer and closer to them. The horrid, blood curdling noise grew with an immensity so loud that it could be heard in the stratosphere, and roared throughout the mountains of Atmos. There was no speaking, there were no screams, time had stopped, and then there was nothing.

This world had spoken, and it was angry.

Terrified of what may come next, they all stood motionless, holding their breath as they waited for the light to disappear. Yet, they would never know what lied beyond the light. Once it had dissolved into reality, the chalk symbol, crystals, and seven figures were gone. It was as though Atmos had taken them in exchange for the damage that had been done to it.

The other knights turned to Nova who stared at the place where the last guardians had been standing. She was afraid. Nothing like this had ever happened before.

"W-where did they go?" Starling stated, the first to speak out of the group. A small hum radiated from the group thereafter.

"At ease!" Nova commanded angrily to the group. They all silenced themselves as they looked up at their temporary leader. She looked back at the clearing, narrowing her eyes at the space where the light once was.

_You better bring them back Anteres…_ Nova thought, as the cold wind still lingered throughout the wastelands, _You bring them back…or so help me…_

* * *

"Now what?" Finn asked, staring up at the ugly, monstrosity they were all too familiar with. The door to the Far-Side towered over them, its carvings formed an ugly face that stared down at them. The door refused to budge as the men tried prying it open, to no avail. They felt as though it was mocking them.

"I don't know!" Ace growled, pounding on the door. He was breathing heavily, covered in sweat, and thoroughly exhausted. God only knows how long they had been in the expanse, prying away at the immovable door. It felt like hours, days even, "Damn it! Why won't you open!?" He shouted, taking a step back from the door.

"Maybe I could-" Piper began, taking a step towards it.

"No," Ace interrupted, looking up at the door angrily, "No…I don't think there's anything you could do…" He hated this door, more than anything in this world. Maybe even more than Cypress. It had no qualms about opening before, so why was it choosing to stay sealed now?

"I don't think there is anything that any of us can do," Ace stated, stepping back from the door.

"So we did this for nothing?" Stork asked, quietly, but thoroughly irritated.

"It looks that way…" Ace replied, looking down at his feet, defeated.

"No…" Finn replied, looking to Ace, and then to the door, "I'm not accepting that as an option…"

"There's nothing we can do!" Ace shouted.

"Then why are we here," Stork began.

"We didn't have much of a choice," Ace then stated calmly.

"No," Piper then stated angrily, "This was crazy…this idea was crazy! And we you crazy for thinking that this would even work!"

"We're all crazy for coming here!" Cloud shouted, as everyone looked to one another with anger in their eyes. They all began arguing amongst each other, shouts and hateful words being exchanged.

"Everybody stop!" Junko then exclaimed as they turned and looked to him, "…Things look bad right now…but if there is one thing that Advent did do for us…she taught us to work as a team…"

"Yeah…he's right…" Ace then sighed, running his fingers through his hair in frustration, "That still doesn't make up for what's happening though. We're still trapped here…and the door still won't open."

"Sora," Cloud began, turning to the young lady, "You've encountered the door a few times…how did you get out of this place?"

"It would open…" Sora began, recollecting what had happened when the door took Meno away, "And it just…sent me back."

"So we're stuck here until the door gets bored of us…" Finn stated angrily, crossing his arms, "This…couldn't get much worse…"

"Brave warriors of Atmos…" A loud, dark, deep, growling voice hummed throughout the expanse. They all looked up, startled and fearful at the same time. The door to the far-side was pulsing with a pale black light. It took them all a moment to realize, that it was the _door_ that was speaking to them.

"This…is getting too weird for me…" Stork then stated as they all walked towards the door.

"I have heard your words," The door continued to growl, "Your screams, your cries, your anger…and I will allow you to pass, but know this…death is the only true key. Your passage into the next world will cost you greatly, heroes of Atmos. Make your decision wisely…for it may be your last."

"What do you mean _Death is the only true key_?" Piper asked, sounding worried.

"Allow me to pass," Ace then stated, coming to terms with what the door meant, "And let the others go."

"You understand the consequences Hero," The door replied, slowly grinding open into a deep, black void, "And you accept them as such…know that there is nothing that can be done for you on the other side…" It concluded as Ace stepped through the door.

"Wait!" Sora exclaimed, chasing after him, but in a flash they fell to the cold, dusty ground. They all opened their eyes to reveal that they were back in the wastelands, and the guardians were now only six.

"Where's Anteres?" Nova asked quietly, stepping towards them.

"We don't really know…" Stork stated quietly after a few moments of silence.

* * *

"Damn…" Ace grumbled peeling his face off of the hot, black asphalt. His vision came into focus, as he shook his head. He had a raging headache, but that was to be expected. It seemed like that was the general consensus every time he happened to pass through a portal.

_Where am I?_ He thought, looking around him. Tall, dark grey and brown buildings surrounded him on all sides. The air stunk and the sounds of honking, and people yelling, murmuring, and just people filled his ears. This certainly wasn't Atmos, and definitely wasn't the far-side.

Ace stumbled out into an extremely crowded street, people bumping into him and pushing past him, without the slightest care or regard for his person. Now that he noticed them, even the people in this world were strange.

They were all fairly short, with dull, lackluster hair and eye colors. There were no Merbians, Wallops, Rabkin, Blizzarians, or any other different races. They all seemed to be human, and even given the current conditions on Atmos, it was rare to see _only_ humans. They were all somewhat large, or thick. The people of Atmos were always oddly thin. This strange place, and these strange people were certainly from no Atmos he knew.

Still, Ace continued to follow the stream of people, all looking down at messages, on strange, glowing, flat devices. White, plastic things were hanging in a few of the people's their ears, and others were speaking into them. Must be the communicators of this world. Ace looked around to catch any indication of where he might be.

It was then when he noted that some people were staring at him oddly, and he then noted why. His attire certainly would have seemed strange to these people, and none of them seemed to carry weapons. This was most likely why they also were keeping their distance. Ace lowered his head, trying not to attract attention to himself, but still looking for a sign.

_Where in Atmos is Amsterdam?_ He thought, looking at the thin green sign, hoisted up on a thick metal pole.

"Anteres!" A voice called from behind him. He didn't hear it at first, but the call came again, and Ace turned around looking at through the crowd, "Ace!" She shouted, again, running towards him.

His heart skipped a beat as he looked into her face, and he started running towards her as well, pushing through the angry crowd of people. He started to laugh as Cyclonis leapt into his arms, and he swung her around happily, not caring about the people staring at them as they passed by.

"What are you doing here!?" Ace began, seizing her face as he began to laugh, tears running down both of their faces, "Where's Aerrow? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Cyclonis smiled, pulling away from him, "I never thought I'd see any of you again!"

"Cyclonis," Ace began, "Where are we?"

"This place is called New York City," Cyclonis began in a quiet, hushed tone, "I don't know where this place is…but we're not in Atmos anymore…"

* * *

**[Message from KC]:** Hey guys! Sorry that this update is almost a week late, but there will be an update tomorrow too :P Why? Because after some major editing, I re-did the notes for volume III and figured out that I could cut the last two chapters from volume two and put the contents in volume 3! That means, this is the last chapter in Volume two! YAY! So I do have to post the epilogue to volume two before it's actually done, but this is the last chapter.

Anyway, so I am going to take a haitus before starting posting volume three. Probably in about two weeks I'll start posting the chapters every saturday. The fall semester starts soon too, so I would like to take a break before that starts. I'd also like some time to work on my other projects and give my other fandoms some love.

So once again, I'd like to say thank you to all of you reading out there. It means so much to me that you all enjoy what I'm doing, and enjoy the story. You've all been so supportive of the Regiment of Twilight here on Fanfiction and on deviantArt and I just wanted to say thank you again :3 So I will see you all very soon in the final update for volume two!

Happy Thursday Everypony!


	77. Epilogue: All Other Worlds

Epilogue.

All Other Worlds

Ace awoke the next morning, looking around the small room with a small air of sadness about him. Part of him had hoped that it was only a dream, but looking at the soft, slate grey walls of the apartment, he knew otherwise. The room was well decorated, with several black bookshelves and a few picture frames hanging on the wall. All of them contained photographs of a young woman who looked extremely similar to Cyclonis, with a young man who looked suspiciously like Aerrow.

He pulled himself out of the large four-poster bed, and moved towards a black dresser across the room. The wooden floor beneath his feet was cold, but comforting. He was safe here. For whatever reason, he felt as though nothing out of the ordinary (or in his case, anything ordinary) would happen here. Cypress wouldn't find either of them here.

"Are you awake," Cyclonis asked calmly, sticking her head in the door of the quaint bedroom. Ace smiled weakly as he pulled some clothing from the dresser and threw them on. He then crossed his arms and looked over pictures hanging on the walls.

"I don't understand," Ace began, taking the picture off of the wall. The duplicates looked happy enough. Aerrow seemed to be carrying Cyclonis on his back, as they were splashing through a grey ocean in the backdrop. He hadn't seen anyone this happy in a long time, "Who are these people?"

"Us," Cyclonis stated, looking down at the photo, "Apparently…" She began, tears building up in her eyes slightly as she left the bedroom and sat down on a long, clean, white couch in a large, brick living room. She buried her face in her hands for a moment, before looking back up at Ace with a slight smile, "Aerrow's dead…" She stated quietly.

"What do you mean…dead?" Ace asked, sitting down next to her, "I thought…that…"

"I mean," Cyclonis stated, with a deep sigh, "There was a fire…when we woke up on this side, and I tried Anteres believe me! I tried to help him-"

"It's alright," Ace stated, taking her in his arms to calm her down, "Just tell me what happened?" He asked, calmly, when on the inside, he was terrified.

"We got out…" She continued, her voice quivering, "We did…but Aerrow was taken…to-to a hospital…and he didn't make it…"

"Okay…" Ace replied, taking a deep breath, still holding on to her, "I won't lie…this is bad. But we'll get through this."

"I know…" She stated with a slight smile, trying to hold on to some hope. She leapt up from the couch and headed over to one of the many bookshelves lining the walls of the room. She dropped a thick, dull, silvery looking book down in front of him and began showing him the contents. It was a photo album. They were uncommon on Atmos, but people did have them. However, it was the contents of the photographs which he thought odd.

"They all…look like..." Ace began, looking at the smiling faces of the people in the photo. One that particularly caught his eye, was of a man, with lengthy black hair, dark eyes, and slightly tanned skin, standing next to the Cyclonis and Aerrow copies on some sort of bridge. On his arm was a young woman with dark skin, and long black hair pulled out of her face, "That's me…with…Piper?"

"On the golden gate bridge apparently," Cyclonis stated, reading the note scrawled on the page next to the photograph, "Look at their names though…"

"Golden Gate Bridge with Andrew and Paige, September fifteenth, two-thousand and seven," Ace read, looking down at the picture, "So there us…from this world?"

"Apparently this is Catherine and Aaron," Cyclonis stated, pointing to the copies of her and Aerrow. They weren't exactly identical. Aaron's hair was more brown, and Catherine had blue eyes, not violet like Cyclonis. The point was, they shouldn't have been there. What if they ran into their alternate selves? Wouldn't the universe implode or something else bad happen?

"It's funny," Cyclonis stated, with a small laugh, "If you look here…that's Finn, with Cloud…Together, I mean."

"Wow," Ace replied with a slight, ironic laugh, "Kind of weird that we all know each other in this world too…"

"Funny how life works out that way?" She asked, a sadness still hanging in her eyes, as Ace continued to look through the album, "You know…" She began as he looked up from a wedding photo, taken at what appeared to be Starling (or rather Sara) and Carver's wedding. Odd indeed. Still, he placed the open album down on the table and looked up at her, "Ever since the start of this war…I wondered if there might be some place or time…where we would all be happy again."

"It's too bad that it's the wrong world…wrong people…" Ace then stated, walking over to a large glass window on the opposite side of the room, looking out into the dark, glowing streets of the city.

"We have to go back…" Cyclonis stated, "We can't just leave the others alone in Atmos…not with the state of things being-"

"Would it be so bad?" Ace stated, turning away from the window, "I mean…this must be the best of all possible worlds…right?"

"What makes you say that?" Cyclonis asked, walking up beside him.

If it wasn't the best of all other worlds, than why had Advent been so driven to come here? But he quickly remembered, that she hadn't been there for that little chat about her mother. Maybe it was better, for the time being, that she not know about what her mother had been planning.

"Nothing," Ace replied, looking back out of the window, "I would just like to think that way…that's all…I mean if this is the best of all other worlds, than what are the _others_ like?"

"That kind of talk could get you in a lot of trouble Anteres…" Cyclonis stated, solemnly, "It could here…and it certainly will back home."

"You're right," He nodded, "I'll keep my ideological nonsense to myself…" He stated quietly, still staring down into the street.

"I never said that," Cyclonis stated, sounding annoyed, "All I said was keep those kinds of ideas between us…people here…don't seem to understand a lot of things."

He gave her a slight smile and began walking towards her, when suddenly a small knock came at the door. Both Ace and Cyclonis looked to one another with concern, but Ace reluctantly walked towards the door.

"Catherine!" A familiar female voice called from the other side, "It's me, Paige! Open up!" Ace pulled the door open, as a young woman who looked frighteningly similar to Piper rushed into the room and flung her arms around the tired looking Cyclonis, "Oh Cat…I'm so sorry…I heard about Aaron…on the news…I-I…are you okay?!"

"I'm alright," Cyclonis then stated, scratching the back of her head. She was upset about what had happened to Aerrow, but in the eyes of these people, _Aaron_ was dead.

"And where have you been," Paige exclaimed, looking up at Ace angrily. He stumbled over his words for a second, and then pointed to Cyclonis. He wasn't used to being under pressure from a woman like this.

"With…Cat?" He then stated, sounding confused. Paige then rolled her eyes and smiled at him, leaning forward to give him a small peck on the lips. Ace went with it, but still felt unimaginably uncomfortable on the inside.

"You're a good man Andrew…" She smiled. He smiled awkwardly back at her and then looked over at Cyclonis with the same awkward look on his face.

"Yeah he is…" Cyclonis then stated with a weak smile.

* * *

**[Message from KC]:** As I said, this is the last chapter of volume II! So we're officially done! I'll be posting my thoughts/reflections on the series so far as an added bonus either later tonight, or tomorrow.

**ALSO!** Given that I won't be starting volume III till late august, I'll be working heavily on my other Projects, this includes Overture. So keep a look out. In addition to that, I'll leave this hiatus time open for Q&A! YAY Q&A!

Basically ask me anything you'd like. It can relate to writing, and be fan fiction related, or ask me anything about the story. You can ask here in the reviews, or send me a message with your questions.

I'm also still doing the 'promote your own fic'. So if you want me to give it a read and a shoutout, leave me a review or send me a message :3

I can't wait to hear from you guys! See you all soon!

Happy Friday Everypony!


	78. Vol II Thoughts and Bonus!

_**Final Thoughts and Reflections, so far:**_

Overall I thought that Volume II was a more powerful addition to the Regiment. It wasn't quite ready to be the end, or the final volume rather, but I feel like this volume set the stage well for the Regiment of Twilight to soon be ended. However, I'm not entirely sure that with all that's going on the story, will end at Volume 3. For now, I'm just going to have to see how the final volume played out. As for the continuation, I feel that given it's taken two years to finish the first two books (yeah that's right, I started writing RoT in September 2010, and it's now August 2012) that the series should be done by 2013 or perhaps late 2012 if I do an overhaul.

I had played around with the idea of the fourth volume being the final volume, but I quickly realized that with all the subchapters in vol II, I.e. chapters like 12 having multiple parts, being their own chapters, volume II actually ended up being 43 chapters long instead of 39 (excluding the epilogue). If volume 3 is going to be anything like volume 2, I'm predicting that it's going to be about 50 chapters (more or less). So with that, I crammed in everything that might have been in the fourth volume (I.e. new characters, important events, story archs, and the ending obviously) into the notes for volume 3. Regardless, back to my thoughts on volume 2.

I feel as though I did sacrifice the development of some characters and spent more time on developing others (but not to the extent I would have liked). I feel like there is a lot of development I've yet to do on a lot of characters, especially those that haven't really been explored much, like Innes, Fontine, Aru, and Victor (yeah remember those people…they exist…). It was just at the time, I didn't have time to include some characters because I was either too focused on furthering the plot over development, or it wasn't an appropriate time to dive into the character. As I'm sure you all have realized by now, The Regiment of Twilight is a plot driven story, and though I have written character driven stories (Till the End of Time, and The World is Mine being driven by both), most of my stories are plot driven.

As far as being plot-driven goes, my attempt to develop characters was the story-archs of volume 2. These were Cloud's pregnancy on Phusis and Heissigaurt. As much as I hate to admit it, these failed. Horribly. Why? First of all, I re-wrote and edited the entire Heissigaurt saga, mostly because it was just too damn long. Also, for content. The original chapters (before they were edited down to practically nothing) were dark, gruesome, and violent. Ordinarily, I'm sure most of you readers wouldn't have cared, but posting the arch would have meant changing the rating on the story for _one_ arch, which I found silly. I told myself before I even started this, unless I was writing something that was going to be intentionally gorey and vulgar, I would not give something an M rating. I wanted to keep my writings mostly T rated (so I could broaden the audience). So with that being said, what was read in RoT was just the stripped down skeleton of the actual arch.

Also, the ending was changed to the saga also that would have changed the outcome of the story. Doctor Constantine was actually supposed to be killed in the dungeons of the castle, while Finn watched, causing him to go blind, and therefore losing his status as the Marksman in the Triad. In addition to that, there was no crystal involved in the story arch. Rather, there was just going to be some strange and ambiguous power that hovered over the terra for unexplained reasons. Griffin was still a part of the arch, and through the strange powers of the terra, he was able to come back (it was kind of like Silent Hill, where there's some weird ominous force that floats over it, you just don't know what it is). It's possible that I might do a revamp of the series later, and write this particular arch as I intended it: with all the blood, guts, and weird monsters you can fathom!

Next, the Red Palace Tournament. I would love to do this as an entire book itself. It certainly could be, and there were a lot of fights (like Cresselia and Cyclonis vs. Cypress and Anaximenes) that you guys probably would have liked to see as well. Also I would like to illustrate what went on during the fights, and afterwards. By round three, I could spend a chapter per fight, but as I said, if I had done this, we'd be _finishing_ with the Red Palace tournament now, rather than finishing volume II.

There's only one thing that I really wasn't too happy about with volume II also. Because I received a few complaints about Farrah being a child (still…not sure why…) I had to make her grow up despite the fact that she would have only been about eight. Also, I didn't want Farrah to be real, or I did, but I only wanted her memory to be real, in Ace's mind. She was originally supposed to be a manifestation of guilt on Advent's part, that transferred to Ace during the resurrection. However, a few people had asked me if Farrah was going to come back to life at some point. So I took the hint and decided to make her real.

Also, this isn't something that bothered me, but it is another example of how my readers have helped me sculpt the story. I had initially intended in Aerrow being leader of the Twilight Knights upon Advent's death. However, when I asked who you would rather see as the Twilight Knight's new leader and it was close between Ace and Cyclonis. But given Advent's poor relationship with her daughter, contextually it wouldn't make sense for Advent to give the leadership position to Cyclonis. So inevitably, I ended up giving the position to Ace, as he seemed to be the best choice. Plus, it added for some drama!

So what did I think about volume I? Well to be honest, I think I liked re-reading volume I better than I did volume II. I think I left too many loose ends that need to be tied up in the next addition, where volume I transitioned nicely into the second book. The first in the series has a bit more of a hopeful vibe to it, where as (now that I reread it), the second volume is depressing. Not much happy things happen in it, which actually wasn't my intention. Also, I didn't feel the humor was there as much as it was in the first.

Also, I felt like I developed a lot as a writer from the time I started volume I through volume II. I feel like I was focused on the story in the first book, but also spent a decent amount of time developing the ensemble. I think I started to run away with the plot, or so to speak.

Each volume and chapter was a learning experience for me. And It's going to be really sad, but awesome to finish up this story. So I'll see you all in volume three :)

_**Frequently unanswered questions (FUQs!)**_

These are just basically questions that people asked me that I either A. didn't have time to answer, or B. couldn't think of an answer at the time. So…here they are.

**1. Is there a chef for the Twilight Knights? or Why do we never see them eating?**

I didn't think this question was relevant, or important at the time, but the more I think about it, no. They most likely took turns in between doing all the cooking (back when they had the Tempest). However, during the resistance movement in volume two, food would have been scarce seeing as how they had little resources. So most likely, the stronger fighters (like Aerrow, Ace, and Nova) would have most likely just starved so the weaker fighters could eat.

**2. Will Ace and Cloud be getting back together?**

The answer to that question is an absolutely, 100%, definitely maybe. At the moment, the relationships between the two characters are Cloud and Carver (Stockholm syndrome much?) and Ace and Starling. Though it has been expressed to me how _against_ Cloud and Carver you all are. Anyway, they may be getting back together in volume III.

**3. Why Finn and Cyclonis?**

Why not…

I don't know. They just happen to be the characters that I ship.

**4. Are Stork and Doctor Constantine in a relationship?**

What's with all the pairing questions? Anyway, yes and no. Their relationship isn't really romantic, but they enjoy one another's company. I haven't really thought about making them an official pairing yet. As of right now, putting them together romantically is not canon.

**5. Why would Advent be training Aerrow to be leader over her own Daughter?**

As horrible as it sounds, Advent has never particularly cared for any of her children. Though she acknowledges her daughter as being intelligent and an asset to the squadron, she sees more of herself in Aerrow, but not so much of herself that the Twilight Knights will be run exactly as how she would have dictated. Aerrow and Advent have very similar leadership ideals, where Cyclonis can be a bit totalitarian.

**6. Why isn't Junko featured more?**

Uh…I don't really know why. I guess, and I'm sorry Junko fans, I don't really care about him as a character that much. He feels like a throwaway character to me. I think I just included him in the triad/guardians because it felt obligatory. He'll most likely get more time and attention in the next volume.

**7. Don't you think you write the canon characters a little OOC sometimes?**

Yes. But it's purposefully. Something that always did bug me about the original series was that fact that the characters _never_ changed! I mean you'd think after a while, they'd start to develop a little more, but didn't. After being trapped in the far side for two years, fighting a war, travelling through time, and evading imperial forces for another two years, you might change a little too. Plus the characters are a lot older. Just issues to consider.

**8. I don't understand the timelines in this story.**

Neither do I…MOVING ON!

**9. Does Cyclonis have a father? Do Farrah and Cain?**

Yes. Am I going to tell you who it is? No.

_**Trivia:**_

-_The Tempest_, or the name of Advent's carrier(s) is not only another word for a great storm, but was named for Shakespeare's play and is the first of many Shakespeare references in the book.

-Advent's name literally means: The arrival of something important or awaited. Ironically, she is the first character to appear in the series

-Many of the character's names are drawn from, or are inspired by characters from the .hack/ series. If you rearrange the letters in Nova's name (who is the second of the characters to appear) it spells 'Ovan' who is from .hack/GU along with Aida, and Innes. Other characters who were named from .hack/ characters include: Anteres(DA's 'name'), and Zelkovitz (Derived from Zellkova).

-All of the characters last names are famous author's last names.

-Cyrus' name was originally spelled with and 'S' rather than a C.

-Cypress' name was originally 'Cassandra' but I changed it to sound more sinister.

-Meno, Anaxagoras, Anaximenes, and Anaximander are all named from ancient Greek philosophers.

-_Constantine _was one of my favorite books (until they turned it into that god awful movie…) anyway hence the inspiration for the Doctor's name.

-Symbology, like the way Alchemy is portrayed in Fullmetal Alchemist, is actually a real science. _Robert Langdon _in _Angels and Demons _was a Symbologist in the sense of the real practice…not the made up science.

-Sherekan's name was originally Sherekhan, and Sora's name was originally Sophie, the names of the main character and her cat from the novel 'Sophie's World' which is all about philosophy and science. I changed Sora's name to give it a more SH appropriate feel (Sora being the Japanese word for sky). However, I still pay homage to the book by keeping Sherekan's name as such.

-Cloud was originally a crystal mage, and the druids were not a part of the story. However, after reading the first seven chapters and realizing that she was an annoying marysue who drooled over Ace the whole time, I decided to change her, and her storyline.

-Cloud was also meant to be Sora's nanny in the original draft. In the first chapter, Sora tells Sherekan to be quiet so Cloud won't hear them sneaking about, and this was never removed from the story. So one can assume that Sora had a nanny named Cloud, regardless.

-Leto, Cloud (being a druid that is), and the three subdivisions of the Twilight Knights were all inspired by _World of Warcraft_

-Noah from chapter 25, was inspired by _Dante _from _Fullmetal Alchemist_.

-I've used the name Neviaan for characters in 5 separate stories I have written, and they all have the same description (the only thing that changes is his relevance in the story)

-Sora is the only character that is without a skimmer, or can't fly on their own.

-The Anax Triplets were originally quintuplets, being related to Aida and Ace. But I scrapped the idea first, when I realized the idea of identical quints was waaaaay too impossible, and secondly when I came to the decision that the only other siblings Ace was going to have had to be female.

-Farrah's name was originally Freya, but I scrapped it after realizing that everyone uses that name -_-

-I thought of the idea for the Regiment of Twilight back in 2007. It was originally entitled 'The Regiment of Twilight II' because I had another story entitled as such (even though it was not meant to be a sequel. It was deleted, and completely re-written and uploaded into what you have read today.

-The fourth wall has only been broken once in the entire first volume (I am quite proud of this…because this is something I have a tendency to do a lot).

-The original idea was to have the Dark Ace have a split personality disorder, going back and fourth between his original demeanor and Advent's calmer, changing names according to which personality was taking over (Ace for his original, and going by Anteres when Advent would take over).

-Aida was originally a symbologist, having gone to the same academy as Sora, and being chosen as 'The Scientist' in the triad, but only to figure out the real scientist was Sora.

-Jevanni, the mother of the valkyries' name, was inspired by a vocaliod DJ JevanniP

-Carver was not supposed to be in the series at all

-Advent's death was written to be at the end of volume III, starting her funeral in volume IV. But seeing as how there may not be a fourth volume, I decided to make her death sooner.

-Advent was originally supposed to be Aerrow's mother, but her description was changed before I started writing.


	79. Vol III: Prologue: The Portis

Prologue.

The Portis

"I don't trust this place," Noah stated as she and her three companions descended into the dark, dry, and black chasm. She was following closely behind Anaxagoras, who was walking with an odd conviction. Cypress had been missing for three days now, and rather than chasing down the Twilight Knights in their hour of need, it seemed that Anaxagoras' loyalty to his master was showing in the empire's darkest hour as well.

"I could care less," Anaxagoras stated, climbing deeper and deeper into the dark trench. The air was hot and dry, and both figures had a difficult time breathing in the sulfur clouded atmosphere, "According to our Master…this is where she found the Portis the first time…"

"First time?" Noah asked, raising an eyebrow, as they both jumped down into a large and open clearing within the trench. It seemed as though a hall had been neatly carved into the black rock, as though Cypress knew she would be back, "What about the gateway in the throne room…what is that of not the Portis?"

"That only takes us to the Far-Side," Anaxagoras stated, heading deeper through the dark hall. He pulled a small, gleaming white crystal from his jacket, and the blackened hall filled with white light, "The Portis on the other hand…may take us anywhere…"

"You don't sound entirely sure about that," Noah stated angrily as Anaxagoras held up his crystal before what appeared to be a large, obsidian door. He let out an angry growl as he attempted to ignore Noah, but her blatant ignorance was waning on him. However, he refused to answer her as he pulled open the heavy stone gates.

"It seems your mechanical prosthetics are more of a blessing than a curse," Noah stated with a smile, poking and prodding at Anaximander's affliction.

"I'll end that merb for what he's done," Anaxagoras stated, clenching his fists as the gears beneath his thick leather gloves hissed and whirred. Noah laughed slightly as she pushed past Anaxagoras and headed into the dark chamber.

It was a large, deep, damp cavern. Within the natural chamber, were several formations, and one odd structure in the center of the cavern. It was an ornately carved obsidian tower looming over the cave, shaped like a double helix, and at first glance it appeared to be spinning. However, it was just an optical illusion. Though, the strange structure was levitating. Anaxagoras smiled as he took a few steps in front of Noah. He began to descend the carved staircase, and immediately as his feet touched down at the end of the steps, the floating structure illuminated.

The hundreds of runes carved into the surface of the obsidian illuminated with a violent red light. A wall of translucent red light flew in front of the structure, keeping Noah and Anaxagoras from it.

He let out an angry growl as he strode up to the wall. He moved towards it, but was blown back, his body radiating with the red light. Anaxagoras let out a growl as he peeled himself up off the ground and turned to the relic. He walked back towards the wall of light, and then noticed Noah standing before a large obsidian pillar.

"How…" He began, walking up beside her, "This wasn't here before…"

"I know…" Noah stated, touching the several circular indentations in the stone, five to be precise, "What do you suppose these are for…"

"Move…" Anaxagoras stated, pushing Noah out of the way. Within the obsidian was what appeared to be instructions. Anaxagoras squinted as he tried to read the words in the dark, but a faint, shimmering, violet specter emerged slowly from the stone. Anaxagoras and Noah stepped back in fear as the frightening, yet lovely vision stood peacefully before them, "Who are you?" Anaxagoras demanded of her.

"I am the Oracle of the Forbidden City," She stated softly and with a gentle smile, "To summon me requires great power and an ever greater need…what is it that you require?"

"Grant us access to the Portis!" Anaxagoras demanded. The oracle simply shook her head and turned to the slab.

"I can not…I can simply be a guide…" She stated, "The wall will not yield without having the right pieces."

"Where can we find them?" Anaxagoras barked at the Oracle. But she was not so easily commanded.

"The key to the worlds will reveal himself when the time is right," She then stated, folding her hands in prayer, "You will require three coins in order to force the barrier to yield...you will find them with the soul…and as I have said…the key to the portis shall reveal himself soon after. All you need to continue your quest is here." She concluded fading back into the stone.

"Wait!" Anaximander shouted, moving after the oracle, "There is still more-"

"Stop," Noah growled, seizing him by the wrist, "We don't need her help anymore…she's given us enough."

"What did she mean _we will find them with the soul_?" Anaxagoras growled, crossing his arms.

"The triad perhaps?" Noah began, raising an eyebrow as she turned to the stone pillar, "It's divided into the heart, the body, and _the soul_. Maybe the guardians have them."

"Damn…" Anaxagoras growled, looking at the stone. Several words in an old, archaic language were carved into the glossy surface. They were instructions, but it looked more like a poem, "Can you read it Noah?"

"Yes," She nodded, guiding her hands across the smooth surface of the stone. Noah cleared her throat as she recited the words in the stone.

* * *

_First is the one who lives her life in silence. Cold and empty, dark and alone, heartless and hateful, she walks through the valley of shadows._

_ Beside her sits the one who knows. The dark prophet, interpreter of dreams, and speaker for the gods. She is the one who knows the future but can not speak of it. The keeper of the unknown, and who relays the law._

_ Hundreds of feet and yet no body to behold. The specter of darkness beside her goes. He is much like the first, empty and hollow._

_ The seducer of dreams, and minion of hatred, he lies closer to the man, and further from the lady. The darkest part of the soul he embodies. He is the leader of chaos and the ambassador of darkness._

_ Next is the leader, the glorious knight. Loyal to all, yet faithful to no one, he is the one who knows that the knight's place is at the right hand of the throne. He knows the future and tames the darkness._

_ Silent and hidden may the two walk, but they are never meant to be seen. The lady walks between the rows of black, and the men see all._

_ Return the soul to its proper place, and the door to the worlds will be at your disposal. But take heed, the worlds beyond may only be traversed at a great cost. With the north star at your back, explore the places unseen. But know that the birth of the Sun, is the beginning and then end of all stories._

* * *

"What does it mean?" Anaxagoras began, turning to Noah.

"I don't know," Noah stated quietly, "But we don't have much of an option at the moment."

"Then let's pay the Twilight Knights a little visit…" Anaxagoras stated angrily.

* * *

**[Message from KC]:** As I promised :p I'd start volume III before I started school (which I start back tomorrow). Hope you enjoy the prologue (oh and Saturday updates will be back!)

Happy Sunday Everypony!


	80. Chapter I: A Brave New World

**[Message from KC]: IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!** Seriously! I turned 20 today! Woohoo! Anyway I hope you guys enjoy the first chapter! I know I am going to have fun with the final book! So have an awesome Sunday everypony! I know I will :D

* * *

Chapter I.

A Brave New World

He touched down in the middle of a filthy and crowded street, as people with muffled voices and their own agendas scuffled to their destinations. Aerrow stood upright, and brushed his fiery red hair out of his face. Surprisingly, none of the city goers stopped to stare at him. He did not belong in this world, and so, he wouldn't be seen or recognized by those that did. Truthfully, he was glad that he couldn't be seen, for his new features would have been quite distracting to the plain looking people of this world.

Aerrow didn't usually think of Valkyries as having wings, however, the only Valkyries he had encountered were fallen, stripped of their power and title. And most importantly, they were stripped of their wings. Aerrow wasn't exactly used to the change at this point. A pair of sizable, silvery, white wings protruded from his back, and though they looked as though they would be a burden on his small body (by comparison of course) he actually felt quite light. It was almost as though gravity wasn't affecting his body. It was strange, and he didn't like it, but he would get used to it.

However, his mission was clear. He needed to move, and start finding Ace and Cyclonis immediately. Only, Yseronde had never given him a tutorial or 'crash course' on how to use his newly bestowed powers, and more importantly, how he was supposed to return to Atmos.

He looked up at the ugly grey sky and sighed. It reminded him of home, but not in a good way. This place was so filthy in comparison to Atmos. The dirt of this world seemed to hang in the air, and it clung to his face. He didn't like it at all. It was by this point, he began to wonder if he could fly on his own. He outstretched his new wings, and wondered. But before he could attempt to jet into the air, something stopped him. He turned around and looked down the seemingly endless street, lined by ugly grey buildings. Something was urging him to go the other way. He moved away, continuing in the direction he was already heading, looking over his shoulders nervously.

"Why do you fight your senses?" A voice asked, very plainly. Aerrow turned to look at his addressor, but there was no one to be found, "Well?" It asked again. He turned to his side and jumped, startled by the sight of the magnificent, golden-haired Valkyrie mother. She gave him a smile, though it was clear she was irritated. If she had her way, Aerrow would be dead and they would have chosen a new member of the Triad. However, Yseronde's decision was law, and Jevanni, as her daughter, had to abide by it. But now this meant catering to a Valkyrie that was not under _her_ jurisdiction, but rather her mother's jurisdiction.

"I thought Valkyries didn't interfere with mortals…unless it was absolutely necessary," Aerrow laughed aloud, knowing no one around could hear or see them. Jevanni scoffed at him as she placed her hand on his shoulder. Aerrow never realized how magnanimous a woman she was until she stood a foot over his head.

"I did," Jevanni replied angrily, striding through the dirty streets of New York, "But…much to my own objection…you're not a mortal anymore…" Aerrow let out a sigh as the pair of deities strode through the streets.

"I guess not," Aerrow replied with a slight smile, "So…what's the issue?"

"You're my responsibility now…" Jevanni grumbled, massaging the space in between her eyes, "And usually…I'd let you fall flat on your face. A Valkyrie is no good to me or the Goddess if she can't fend for herself…but they train and study for thousands of years. _You_ were just _born_ today. So…it's only fair that I lend you my aid…" She grumbled, sounding less than eager to help.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Aerrow asked, unafraid to ask anyone for assistance this time.

"You know where to go to find the others," Jevanni stated flatly, picking at her nails, "You are the only guardian who can locate another. Yseronde gave that gift to the Sky Knight, because it is his duty to lead the group, and in this, find them should they ever be lost, or find the new guardian, should one die."

"That's…horrible…" Aerrow stated sadly, looking down the street in the direction his mind was begging him to go.

"Horrible it may be," Jevanni stated, sounding lethargic, "But it is the way of things…I will stay by your side should things go awry. However once we return to Atmos, you will be on your own."

"Thank you Jevanni," Aerrow replied, hurrying off down the street. She looked angrily at him as she followed after the fiery youth.

"And never call me by my name!" She then roared, her booming voice making his ears ring, "I stood for that when you were a guardian, and under the Goddess' wing, but now you're technically under my jurisdiction and as long as you're a Valkyrie…you'll abide by our laws."

"Of course…" Aerrow replied quietly, stopping in his tracks to wait for his new master. She gave him a slight, arrogant smile as she followed after him. There was something so enticing to her about now having tamed the untamable.

"Aerrow," Jevanni then stated after a few moments of the pair silently pushing their way through the crowd. She was at first content to let him continue through the streets and to their destination, but something about the young, new Valkyr felt wrong, "Are you alright?" She demanded, as he stopped in his tracks. He turned around to face her, looking a little lost.

"What happens when we go back?" Aerrow asked, looking up at the gloomy grey sky above New York.

"I can't answer that," Jevanni replied with a sigh as she placed her hand on Aerrow's shoulder once more, "Atmos will never be as it was. My daughter has done far too much damage to that world to be repaired. Not immediately anyway. But I can say that even if your world takes a turn for the worst…we can always rebuild."

"What do you mean by that?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's not important," She replied quietly, continuing to walk forward. She then turned around to face him, noting that he was no longer leading the way. She looked at him expectantly and he nodded, continuing down the street and to a quiet and seemingly empty avenue. A few of the old brick buildings were illuminated, in what appeared to be a more pleasant district.

"They're here…" Aerrow stated, nodding towards the building he had stepped before. It was quiet. Somehow, he knew they weren't going to be the same people that they were before. And, there was something oddly ironic about this situation.

"I need to tell you," Jevanni stated, pulling Aerrow back as he moved towards the door, "Once we bring them back to Atmos…all three of your lives will change. Anteres and Cyclonis will not be permitted to return to their world as humans…just like you."

"I understand," Aerrow nodded, noting the severity of the situation.

"I just want to be absolutely clear on where you stand," Jevanni stated, "Now…let's end this war…" She continued as she carried herself up the steps of the apartment complex.

Aerrow let out a long sigh as he followed after the Valkyrie Matriarch. The three guardians had no bodies to return to back on Atmos. They were nothing but ghosts now. Physically and spiritually. They had no place on this world, and certainly no place back on Atmos. It scared him. He didn't belong in the world of the Valkyr, and he knew that Ace and Cyclonis would feel the same. All the same, however, he was glad that they were alive, in a sense. With the trio's ability to return to Atmos, that meant hope for the fate of the worlds, and for now, hope was all he needed.

* * *

"Order!" Nova called as dozens of knights and remaining fighters and figures bickered and argued amongst themselves within a large, rusting bunker within the barren deserts of terra Anu, "I said ORDER!" Her voice boomed and rebounded through the hollow metal shelter. All the faces turned to her as she stood proudly at the head of the pack. She took in a deep breath as the many figures and faces exchanged looks of anger and fear. Their voices died down into a low, humming murmur as Nova stepped up onto a large metal toolbox, standing high above the others.

"Listen!" She began, sounding annoyed and somewhat defeated, "The empire is against the ropes at the moment…unlike Advent-"

"Cypress is a good leader…" Cyrus shouted angrily, interrupting her rival as she stepped forward from the crowd, "She lacked a moral code and ran her empire without any regard for her subjects…so her morality never got in the way of her decisions. I'm not saying that I agree with what Cypress has done…and I'm not saying that Advent wasn't a good leader but-"

"Fuck the empire!" Matteo shouted, stepping up beside Cyrus, "The empire is the reason we've all been forced underground! And they've killed so many of our friends and family!"

"Zey 'ave forced us from our 'omes!" Dove cried from within the crowd.

"And treated us like petty criminals!" Harrier protested indignantly.

"ENOUGH!" Nova exclaimed, stepping down off of her soapbox (so to speak) and walking towards the crowd, "I was getting to that…" The room was silent as all eyes and ears were on Nova, "Advent, Aerrow, and Anteres are gone! Incidentally so is Cyclonis…by right that means the Twilight Knights are under my control until further notice! And as temporary leader…our first order of business is reclaim what is rightfully ours…"

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Matteo asked with a smile as he walked up towards Nova.

"We're taking back Atmosia!" Starling cheered as a chorus of shouts followed after.

"Not yet…" Nova stated. The room fell silent for a moment, almost as though they felt downhearted at the fact they would not be reclaiming the terra they called home, "But…we will be taking back our strongholds! Anaxagoras is leading the empire until Cypress is located…if they ever find her…but Anaxagoras is naïve, and while he is still green we can take back enough terras to re-establish the Twilight Knights and the Old Atmos!" She continued.

The looks on the faces of the crowd had changed at the sounds of these words. Slowly, but surely they were going to get their world back, and bring it back to the way it was meant to be. Perhaps having Nova as the new leader wouldn't have been as bad as one might have initially thought.

"With that being said," Nova stated, "We need to focus on what we can reclaim, and where we can build."

"Terra Gale has been practically abandoned," Starling stated, taking a step forward, "A few of our agents did a brief reconnaissance over the imperial occupied terras. Quite a few of them have been relinquished."

"Excellent!" Nova chimed, "How quickly do you think we can establish bases on the abandoned terras?"

"It'll take a few days to set up!" Jynx chimed in, having been on terra Anu for such a long time, "But we should be able to set up as soon as we can land."

"Good," Nova nodded, "Before we deploy any knights for a convoy…we need to find a new terra to claim as a capital. Since terra Atmosia is largely imperial, and Lumina City is currently being disputed, we should set up operations, and do it soon."

"Heissigaurt is a viable option," The doctor began, knowing that the terra had been released from its curse, "We had initially begun to claim it for the Twilight Knights, so it would be ideal."

"Not to mention it hasn't been touched by the empire," Finn stated, looking at the ground as he leaned against the wall behind Nova. He still looked terrible, bitter, and angry, but there was nothing he could do about it by this point, "There's more than enough space for all of us…"

"Then it's settled," Nova shouted, standing back on the metal box, "We'll dispatch to Heissigaurt immediately. From there we can settle on where to dispatch from there. As for the rest of you…gather everything that may be of use to us here at the training grounds…with Lumina city practically being a loss, we've lost the old headquarters as well…our resources are vastly limited, so every single crystal and spare part needs to be saved. Are we clear?"

The crowd replied with salutes and cheers as Nova dismissed them. She let out a sigh as she stepped down off of the box. She was tired, sick, and hadn't had the time to properly adjust to being the leader. She walked towards the remaining guardians. She was sure that they felt worse than she did at the moment. After all, death had been such an abstract concept, something that happens once they were too old to live. She wasn't sure than any of them had even thought for a moment, that they might be killed in the line of duty. The fact that friends and lovers were now gone, made this war all the more real to them. Not that it wasn't real already, but now it was personal to a new degree.

"Listen," Nova began, letting out a long sigh, "I understand that this has been…hell on all of you…but we're going to need to consider the fact that Aerrow, Cyclonis, and Anteres' souls are gone…and that there may be new guardians…"

"Please…" Sora began, tears hanging in her eyes as soon as Nova brought up their names, "We just lost them…" She looked pale and sickly as well, but for other reasons. Sora had been put through much in the past twenty-four hours.

"Just…give us some time okay?" Piper asked, placing her hands on Sora's shoulders. She too was trying to stay strong, for the sake of the group anyway, but even she looked as though she might break down at any moment.

"I'm sorry," Nova replied, knowing that the comment was a tad insensitive, "But I'm letting you know now, that this may be the case. I wish that-" She continued, looking down at her feet. However, a loud grinding noise behind her immediately seized her attention.

She turned around to notice that the large door to the curved, metal bunker was slowly grinding open. There was a horrific jolt of panic that surged through the bodies of every knight in the room as every single body ceased what they were doing. Equipment slammed against the ground as some stood in fear, wondering what was on the other side of that door. Was it imperials? Was it allies? In this insane war of the worlds, no one knew.

A blinding whit light then flooded the bunker as everyone threw their hands up over their eyes. This was not a malevolent presence, but it didn't feel like a good one either. From the cool, serene light, everyone felt a stern and domineering presence enter the bunker. And though this was a powerful force, they all felt safe.

They could see three figures from within the white light, heading closer and closer towards them, all the while, the faint hum of a tuning fork filled and echoed throughout the chamber. The squadron parted, leaving a wide and open path to the back of the bunker. Nova and the six guardians stood completely still as the three figures approached them. A soft and gentle wind then drifted through the bunker, carrying with the breeze soft feathers that skittered across the ground and danced through the air.

Each of them was wearing gleaming platinum armor, which shone even brighter in the white light that shone around them. Their faces were covered by silver masks, covering their heads and faces. And lastly, all three figures had their own set of magnificent white wings. These beings weren't anything new to the Twilight Knights, or their allies. Upon one look and they knew that these were Valkyries. But the question that everyone had been asking themselves was: What were Valkyries doing here.

The three figures stopped a few meters from Nova, who stood firmly before her fellow Valkyries. Nova bowed her head and gently lowered her knees as was custom, though she did not know these beings. And she immediately knew that something was off about these beings. The first pair of Valkyries were men. Nova had never seen a male Valkyrie in her life, most likely because they simply didn't exist. The three strange Valkyries bowed before the group, but said nothing.

"Who are you?" Nova commanded, unafraid of the beings. They all immediately placed their hands upon the faces of their silver masks, their armor making a distinctive clicking noise as they pulled them off. The only female of the group removed hers first, long black hair falling from beneath the armor and down around her pale face.

The room was silent as the two males removed their helms and held them at their sides, looking over to Nova and the guardians with small and confident smiles.

"I…I don't believe it…" Piper began, the first of the group to speak. She let out a cry of joy as she rushed to the first of the male Valkyries, jumping towards him and wrapping her arms around him, "You're alive!" She cried, burying her head into his chest.

Sure enough, Aerrow, Ace, and Cyclonis were all standing within the bunker on terra Anu, in the middle of Atmos. They had cheated death, and returned from the grave, for now.

"If I'm not mistaken," Ace began, walking towards Nova, who had crossed her arms and smiled at him with disbelief, "I've got a squadron to lead…"

"And a war to win," Nova replied, saluting Ace with a smile, "It's good to have you back Master Anteres."

"It's Ace...just Ace"


	81. Chapter 2: The Funeral Procession

**[Message from KC]:** Hey guys so just so you know, I am a betareader now! I applied for it and I filled out my application! So if you have anything you want me to read and critique, send it my way for a betaread! Woohoo!

Anyway, as promised, here is my RoT Saturday update! It's a sad one, and a short one :/ but I hope you enjoy anyway!

Happy Saturday Everypony

* * *

Chapter II.

The Funeral Procession

The world cheered for the return of the three fallen guardians. In less than a day, the hope of all Atmos had died, and been reborn, just as the guardians had. Though Ace was ready to begin his time as leader of the Twilight Knights, it was clear that one thing had to be done before any other efforts. Those who had been lost needed to be put to rest, and before he could begin his term, he needed to put the former leader to rest as well.

The next day reflected its circumstance almost perfectly. The frigid snow over Atmos had ceased to fall for the day, but the temperature allotted for a dreary, wet, grey fog to hang over the world. The air was silent, and all Atmos was mostly quiet, except for the soft hum of engines in the skies above. If you had stepped outside your home on this day, you might have seen a trail of soft white lights showing through the fog.

It almost looked like a long line of stars drifting through the sky. There were dozens, perhaps hundreds of lights in a straight line, drifting hundreds of feet in the air. People all over the Atmos emerged from their broken homes amongst the war-torn streets and terras to get a look at the spectacle. The sight gave them all hope. It was as if seeing the lights in the sky meant that something good was coming. Little did they know that there were unhappy circumstances behind the peaceful caravan.

The lights travelled to the center of the tropica, a place very well known to the Twilight Knights, the Caylo isles. Though, like much of the Atmos at this point, the isles were broken and sad. The towns and villages had been abandoned, the residents forced out in order to house the imperial forces, and the isles were now an old and decrepit ruin of the place it once was. But this may have been more of a blessing than a curse.

The twilight knights landed down on the soft grey beaches on the outskirts of the abandoned mainland. Each knight and fighter was holding on to a white, glass votive with a small luminescent crystal inside. Each of them was wearing a black cloak, and hooded, looking down at the glowing luminary. Most of the women were carrying the lights, where as the men hoisted long, white gondolas above their heads.

Ace and Nova were at the head of the procession, Ace leading them to the shores behind the Caylo estate. He let out a slight sigh as he looked up at his old home. The estate had fallen in a state of disarray, given that there was no one to maintain it. The crimson finish had faded, the doors were broken down, and the paper was hanging, torn and loose within the rotting window frames.

They walked in silence through the empty streets, the cold, wet fog clinging to their faces as they walked through the streets, a trail of lights stringing along behind him and Nova. They reached the grand steps of the estate, and climbed into the house. The entire grounds had been ransacked, probably the magnificent décor and furnishings had been taken by the imperial lieutenants. The faded portraits remained, laying on the floor in a disgraceful clump. Ace didn't care much, but he was sure Aida was somewhere behind him feeling bitter and angry inside.

The procession cleared through the halls, and headed through the gardens beyond the estate, and through to the beach behind. The once crystal blue water, hand turned a dark, murky grey, though the soft, white sand remained unchanged. It had taken the grieving battalion since sunrise to make the pilgrimage to the island, and it was dusk. The sun was starting to set behind the clouds and nightfall was coming soon. Just as they had planned.

The men docked the white vessels on the beach as the grey tides rolled in. There were dozens, inside of each was someone. A friend, a lover, a father or mother, brother or sister, son or daughter. Some were covered in a white sheet, but each gondola was adorned with their belongings, and pale grey branches. Traditionally, a funeral pyre was done in flowers, but this world was so dead, fallen branches were all they could find.

With a nod from Ace, the men carrying the deceased pushed the gondolas out to be carried away by the currents. The white vessels gently drifted out into the soft grey water in an exodus of those passing along to the other side. The women of the procession moved forward to the shore after the vessels had headed out to sea, wading into the tide and placing their luminaries in the water. The gentle white lights drifted out beside each gondola as night encroached upon them, the small light illuminating the space.

The air was silent, all but the sounds of the grey waves lapping against the beach. The water was calm as well, almost as if it understood the circumstances. After all, no one else was speaking. It wasn't appropriate to speak during the funeral or the wake, not on Atmos anyway. It was considered disrespectful, though it was acceptable to say a few parting words in their honor. However, words didn't seem like it was enough. How do you thank someone for ending their life so early, and for such a cause?

There was only one last thing left to do by this point. Several of the nameless knights stepped forward, long, rather old and tarnished bows in their hands. At the head of the group was Finn, with Ravess and Nova close behind. Each of them took hold of a single wooden arrow, wrapped and doused in a strong smelling liquid. The several knights stepped up to a metal basin, which had been lit ablaze a few seconds prior. The arrows ignited and a bright yellow flame glowed at their tips. Each archer then pulled back on their bowstrings as the sun finally set and a dark dusk had fallen over the land. They pointed their arrows to the sky, and released, letting the flaming projectiles fly through the air, colliding with the thin floating vessels. Each gondola burned brightly, sending those who had been lost back to where they belonged.

And for several long, almost agonizing moments, the world was silent, watching those who they had once known and loved burn. It was a light so incredibly bright that the glow could be seen all over the Atmos. People stood outside of their homes, watching and waiting ever since the parade of lights drifted by. And they continued to watch as the bright orange glow grew and grew in the distance. It felt like hours until the light finally died as the burning vessels gently slipped under the murky grey waters. It was at that moment, it felt as though, with one collective release, the world let out a sigh of relief and despair. And though the rest of the world returned to their war-torn homes, the Twilight Knights remained, watching and waiting as the last of the luminaries slipped beneath the gentle waves.

A hazy darkness fell over the beach, clouds hanging in the sky and masking the stars. This was nothing new. The light of the moon shone faintly behind the clouds, providing enough light for the nights to travel back through the empty streets of the Caylo isles. As they headed back to the once proud blood crow, soft sobs could be heard from the women in the squadron. Ace couldn't be certain, but it seemed as though some of the men were sobbing as well. Though he wasn't sure if they were crying or just angry.

Somehow, the walk back to the carrier seemed longer than before. Occasionally, the other knights looked back at the three Valkyr, just to see how they were responding to all this. However the trio didn't show much emotion. Despite having lost their mother and mentor, the three of them had their own personal resentment towards Advent. Though for everyone else, they experienced a loss, they felt as though they had gained something. During their time in Limbo, each of them had begun to develop their own ideals, and truthfully speaking, Advent would only have gotten in their way.

"You know what I am about to say," Aerrow stated quietly as he walked alongside Ace and Cyclonis. She turned to him and gave him a blank yet expectant look, while Ace continued to walk forward, his eyes fixated on the distance.

"We will set the affairs of the squadron in order," Ace stated darkly, not bothering to look towards his younger, "As soon as the squadron has healed and once we find a terra in which we can establish our newest headquarters."

"I was going to say that we storm Lumina," Aerrow continued, feeling infuriated by the fact that Ace wouldn't look him in the eye, "While the empire is weak-"

"In time," Ace continued quietly, as the squadron headed towards the blood crow.

Aerrow took a step towards Ace as the oldest of the Valkyr stepped on to the opened hatch of the ship. However, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder pull him back. He turned to notice Cyclonis standing behind. She had such a calm and gentle air about her now that she had been reborn. Aerrow let out a sigh as he stepped back beside her.

"He is our leader now," Cyclonis stated quietly, "And we need to abide by his wishes…"

"I know…" Aerrow replied looking down at the ground. He was still so bitter and angry inside, but for the good of the worlds, he needed to put it behind him.

"He is our elder as well," Cyclonis then added, "As Valkyrian law dictates…he outranks us…think about this…even if you were leader, you would need to run every decision through Anteres before it could be carried out."

"I know…" Aerrow continued, sounding more irritable by this point.

"I'm sorry…" Cyclonis replied, with a slight bow. She knew that, unintentionally, she was rubbing salt in his wounds, but it needed to be said, "But remember that…Advent was my mother…By right, it all belongs to me. Everything. But yet, she chose to leave it all to you. Just consider it…" She concluded, striding away from him. She never once broke her expression or broke her confidence. It was something she had inherited from her mother, surely. And, Cyclonis did have all the superior graces she would need to rule. However, it was apparent that Advent had always wanted a son.

Still, Aerrow had followed her into the hull of the blood crow. Everyone had convened within the hangar bay. Ace stood before the group, his newfound Valkryrian wings tucked beneath themselves. He wasn't used to them yet. Still, the others waited for him to speak. Ace then looked up at the small crowd and the group hushed.

"For the next few years, and maybe even longer," He began, "Every day your lives will be in danger…and you may all very well die. I don't expect you to say by our side and fight, especially considering most if your loyalties were elsewhere before Cypress came. Remember that you owe us nothing…Advent may have asked to leave your lives behind and join our cause, but as I said…you owe us nothing. If anything, we owe you all a debt of gratitude. With that…any one inducted into the Twilight Knights is absolved if you so wish," He continued as the small crowd gasped with confusion and disapproval.

"But what of you don't?" Matteo asked, stepping in front of the group.

"Ve 'ave nothing!" Dove added, walking up from behind him, with the remaining rebel ducks, "Zere is nothing for us anymore! Our 'omes…our friends-"

"They're all gone…" Suzy-Lu began, her ears lowering as she looked back at her squadron.

"The offer still stands…" Ace began, heading from the hangar bay, "You all have until morning tomorrow to make your choice…"

"Are you insane!?" Nova called after Ace, chasing him down with Aerrow, Cyclonis and the rest of the guardians in tow, "We need numbers on our side Anteres!? We agreed on continuing the outreach campaign to gain reinforcements! Not dismiss-"

"Advent believed that numbers could win a war…" Ace continued, turning around to face the group, "I believe otherwise…Atmos has been put through enough, along with her people. The motto of the Twilight Knights is _Be for the People, and put Atmos' best interest in hand_, and that's exactly what I am going to do…"

He concluded, but just as he moved to head deeper into the ship, a roar of screams erupted from the hangar bay. The group headed back into the hangar to see that the crowd of remaining knights had parted, clinging to each side of the hangar. They all stood and watched in fear as a tall, dark, slender figure made her way through the bay.

It was Meno, however she seemed to be stripped of her human possessions, and was completely bare. Though a thin, tar-like substance seemed to cover her entire body. They had all seen this before. It was the same substance that had almost overtaken Sora, and it was the same that overtook Cypress, and had almost overtaken Ace. That was the nature of it however. It could not simply let something living be, it needed to consume it, wholly.

Her hair had lost its sheen and was hanging in a filthy, stringy mess around her face. Her eyes seemed scared, and almost lifeless. Her skin was now chalky and pale, hidden beneath the creeping ruin that coated her body. She was not here to harm them, rather, she was here for help. Knowing this, and unafraid of her, Ace walked back through the hangar and towards the cowering creature.

"Why are you here?" He asked, kneeling down before her as she collapsed on all fours. He had no idea how she had escaped from the far-side, or even broke away from the other far-children, but the point was, she was here and she may be able to help them. She then looked up at him, with a horrified expression. This was not hostile, she was just calling out for help, and as a Twilight Knight, they all eagerly heeded the call.

Ace rose to his feet, turned, and nodded towards Nova. She nodded back, moving towards her former rival. Meno let out a slight cry as Nova headed towards her, and Ace immediately extended his hand towards her, and she ceased. Meno then stumbled to her feet, though it was clear she was in extreme pain.

"Why can't she speak?" Someone in the crowd whispered. She then looked to the crowd in fear and then back to Ace. She opened her mouth and extended her tongue. It looked as though a shape had been burned on to the pink muscle. A rune.

"That's a rune of silencing," Sora then stated from not too far behind.

"You're mute?" Ace asked, turning back to her. Meno didn't need to move, or say anything. The look on her face was enough, "What do you want?" He asked a second time. Meno lifted her hands, which had been clenched in a tight fist ever since she had arrived. Nova and Aerrow lurched forward as though they were about to attack, but without even turning to face them, Ace lifted his hand, commanding them to stay still.

Meno held her fists out as though she was waiting for him to give her his hands. Ace nodded as he held them out towards her. Without changing her expression of fear, she released her grip and dropped what looked like three coins into his palms. Ace looked down at the three articles with confusion. Meno then said nothing, she simply collapsed to her knees out of exhaustion and fell over, unconscious.

"What…did she give you?" Piper asked cautiously as Nova and Aerrow rushed over to lift Meno off of the ground.

Ace looked down at the coins, and his eyes widened.

"Piper! Cloud!…" He commanded, "Help Nova and take Meno to the infirmary…You two come with me…" He commanded, gesturing for Aerrow and Cyclonis to follow him.

* * *

"The city is in turmoil," Noah stated angrily as she, and the triplets stood in the grand throne room of Cypress' floating citadel, "If we don't find the Twilight Knights…and soon, we're all done for!"

"I vote we deploy the troops to the streets…" Anaximander stated quietly, "And we kill anyone who defies our laws…"

"I don't care…" Anaxagoras stated, sounding almost crazed as he leaned over a piece of parchment, draped across the large black table before the throne, "I just want that portis open!" He shouted turning to Noah and his brothers.

"This is insane!" Anaximenes began, the same concerned look on his face as always.

"Shut up!" Anaxagoras hissed, throwing his hand across his brother's face, "You worthless, spineless coward!"

"Enough!" Noah commanded, seizing Anaxagoras by the wrist before he could strike again, "I have had enough of you…" She growled, turning to Anaxagoras, "And if I didn't have so much respect for the master…I'd kill you where you stand, but right now, we need to focus on rebuilding the empire!"

"As if a pitiful creature like you could strike me down…" Anaxagoras growled, pulling his hand away, "…But while our Master isn't present…I make the decisions. And I say we decode the portis lock and find our master!"

"Where do you suppose we find these pieces?" Anaximander began, very coldly as he looked down at the riddle of the portis.

"I don't know…" He stated angrily, "But I think I have an idea of who does…"


	82. Chapter 3: The Binding

Chapter III.

The Binding

"I don't understand," Cyclonis stated, fiddling with a dull, beaten, copper coin in her palms. The artifact was quite old, and fairly large, but it was the image engraved in the surface that disturbed her.

She was standing within the navigation and charting room of the Blood Crow, with the other guardians, Nova and the Captain. Ace and Aerrow had their own large and old coins as well. Ace was clutching to a weathered gold coin, where Aerrow was holding to a silver one. The trio of Valkyr looked at their relics strangely.

"Never seen anythin' in Atmos that be like that," Captain Scabulous stated, a bit direly as he examined the coins. After all, when it came to rare and expensive objects, he would know best.

"I think they say something on them," Piper stated, as Aerrow handed her his coin. Aerrow's face was plainly printed on the surface, though the face of his coin's reflection looked dark, marred, and almost evil. On the back, were two words, carved from a strange language.

"Any idea what it says?" Ace asked, raising an eyebrow as Piper tried to decipher the code. Cyclonis looked quietly at her coin and then looked up. Everyone in the room had been staring at her. After all, she was a bit of a language expert.

"It's not a language that I knew…" She stated quietly, "It's written in the script of the Old World…the world that existed before Atmos. I didn't know this when I was mortal…"

"What does it say?" Nova commanded, crossing her arms and waiting expectantly.

"Mine says…" Cyclonis stated quietly, "The Prisoner…" She stated quietly, "Aerrow's says the King, and Anteres is the Brother."

"I don't understand," Ace then stated, looking down at his coin, "Why did Meno give these to us…"

"What do they even mean?" Aerrow continued, "Is…is she still here?" He demanded, turning to Nova and Captain Scabulous.

"Ey," The Captain nodded, "The others have her on close watch in the hangar…didn't want the slippery bitch getting' away."

"She's been silent since she came here though," Nova nodded, "I doubt she's going to give us anymore clues."

"Send her up," Ace demanded, clutching to his coin as he crossed his arms and stared into the distance. Nova nodded to the Captian who silently left the chamber. It was now her and the nine guardians, standing alone in the darkened captain's quarters. They all exchanged looks of silence for a long period of time.

"What happened to you?" Piper finally asked, finally saying what everyone was thinking. The three Valkyr seemed less than eager to provide them with a response, mostly because it wasn't appropriate.

"That's not important right now," Ace replied, leaning over the tabletop map, "What is important is that we're back in Atmos…and we have a mission to complete."

"Cypress is still missing," Stork stated, looking up to the trio, "She's been gone for weeks now…the empire is crumbing and they're wide open for an attack."

"Then I suggest that we mobilize all possible units," Ace then stated, "We've got a limited amount of time before Cypress comes back-"

"What do you mean," Piper stated, seeming a little skeptical of her newly changed comrades, "_Before Cypress comes back_?"

"…It's only a matter of time," Ace stated after a few moments of silence, "Cypress is alive…there isn't a thing in the far-side that could kill her if we can't. She's alive and she will figure out a way to come back. I know that…"

"It's nice to dream…" Sora then stated quietly. She looked sickly, and pale, but she was still standing, and that was all that mattered, "But she will come back…"

"So how do you plan on taking the cities back?" Junko asked innocently, though his question wasn't without merit. Every city controlled by the empire was crawling with imperial soldiers, though there was little order to be had, "I mean…do we stand a chance?"

"Of course we do," Aerrow stated, stepping before the group, "But the quicker we act the better." Ace and Cyclonis nodded in agreement, but the rest of the group seemed reluctant. They all knew that these were the same people that had been lost to them in the battle prior, but something just didn't seem right.

"I'll trust your judgment," Ace stated, turning to his lieutenants, "Before we advance on Atmosia, do what you can to reclaim Lumina City. We'll continue to move once we've established ourselves back in our old headquarters."

"It's most likely still intact," Piper then stated, "It's probably been ransacked by the empire, but we didn't leave anything behind that we couldn't afford to lose."

"Perfect," Ace stated quietly, "Then move out." He commanded, gesturing to Aerrow. Aerrow nodded as the others followed him out of the room. They filed out, leaving Ace alone with his thoughts, all except for one guardian. Cloud stayed behind, waiting for him to notice her. He let out a sigh and gently looked over his shoulder at her, "You should go with the others…it's going to be a tough fight."

"I'd like to speak with you," Cloud stated in a soft voice, walking up to him. Ace let out another sigh as he let his head fall back.

"I don't have time for this," Ace stated, turning to her. He looked more upset than angry, and she understood that. Certainly, there must have been a lot on his mind.

"I just wanted to say…" Cloud stated, "That I was worried…and I'm…I'm…" She continued, seemingly at a loss for words. Ace turned away from the table and took a step towards her, waiting for her to speak.

Rather, Cloud said nothing. She stepped forward, and fell into Ace's chest. She buried her face in his armor and burst into tears. Ace let out a sigh, as he wrapped his arms around her. He understood. As of twenty-four hours ago, he was a dead man, along with Aerrow and Cyclonis. He was used to rising from the dead, but the others were not.

"I…I thought…I thought we'd never see you again!" She wailed, "I…I thought…I thought you were _really_ gone!"

"I know," Ace replied, resting his head on hers, "But I'm here now…we all are…"

"Master Anteres," Nova stated, bursting into the room. Leto and Snipe were behind her, with the deranged Meno between them. Nova raised an eyebrow at the scene before her as Cloud looked back at her, looking frightened for only a moment. Nova shook her head and regained her composure, "We've brought her…"

"Cloud," Ace commanded, gesturing her to leave. She nodded, wiping away her eyes as she headed out of the captain's chamber. Leto and Snipe then pushed Meno foreward. Ace took the old coin in his hand and showed it to Meno. She stared at the object before rushing away from Leto and Snipe and seizing the item from him. Both men rushed to seize her, but Ace held up his hand in objection.

"Wait!" Ace commaned, turning away from them and towards Meno, "Tell me…what is this…" She didn't respond. Rather, she turned to the table and slammed her nails into the surface, scratching at the wood.

"Get her something to write with!" Nova commanded, turning to the men. They rushed to find her something, but Meno had already dug what she needed to say into the surface. Ace leaned over her to see her message, but instead found the carving of a face, "Who…who is that?" Nova asked, looking to Ace.

"Follow me," Ace stated, as Nova headed after him. The men were so confused that they left Meno, alone in the room. Though she stood completely still, staring down at the eerily detailed face she had carved into the table. She didn't appear as though she wanted to leave. Though she was their enemy, she knew that they were the few individuals left that wouldn't have her head. She let out a long, steady sigh and stood for what seemed like hours.

"You…" A voice hissed from behind her. Meno's heart stopped for a moment as her entire body seized and she began to shake violently. Her head turned slightly to her addressor, but she knew who it was. Her rival, and perpetual thorn in her side, Anaxagoras was stepping out of the shadows behind her, "How did I know you'd be here…"

"…" She replied with nothing but a cold, and petrified stare, glancing quickly from him to the door. It was possible that she was thinking of making a run for it, or perhaps hoping someone was coming back for her, either way, it didn't matter. Anaxagoras extended his arm out to his side, commanding the shadows in the room. The darkness created a wall between her and the safe haven of the door, and she knew she was trapped.

"You wouldn't stand a chance either way," Anaxagoras stated taking a step towards her, though she did not move, "Your crystal symbiosis was nullified when your human form was dissolved…and you took on a new being, isn't that right, Meno?" She still stayed silent, "It wouldn't matter anyway…your ability to manipulate your form would be useless against my power…not to mention I still have mine. So where are you going to go?" He laughed as the shadows began to wrap around them both.

* * *

"Have the first squadron deploy to Lumina City," Aerrow stated, meanwhile down in the hangar bay. Every available fighter was moving towards as many working ride as possible, and those who weren't were working to arm the others, performing maintenance, or strategizing with the brigade's leaders. Over all, there wasn't a soul standing still. The guardians were following Aerrow and Cyclonis throughout the bay as they both oversaw the operations, "The rest of them will scout and assess the situations on the imperial controlled terras. No one is to attack without _your_ consent…" he stated, turning to the others.

"And you're not to give your consent without ours," Cyclonis continued, turning to the remaining six, "You two…I need to speak with you alone…" Cyclonis then stated, directing her attention to Piper and Sora. Both of them looked to one another cautiously as they followed Cyclonis with caution. Finn and Stork exchanged looks of confusion and slight worry as the women walked away. All the while, Junko and Cloud followed after Aerrow.

"What do you think that was about?" Finn asked, turning to the Merb.

"Crystals…I'm sure," Stork stated, crossing his arms, "It doesn't seem to me like your wife looked to thrilled though-"

"She's not my wife," Finn snapped. Stork raised an eyebrow at him as he took a deep breath and regained his composure, "Not yet anyway…"

"You should talk to her," Stork stated, very darkly. Finn looked up at him with slight concern. Something about Stork's attitude didn't feel right. It was almost as though he knew something.

"You think…" Finn stated, showing his insecurity now more than ever, "That she's changed?" Stork didn't say anything in response. Part of him wanted to break him down, and tell him that the woman he was in love with was gone. But that would be a lie. She was still there, as they all were.

"No," He replied flatly, "But…I think you're stupid to get married…" He stated, almost resentfully as he walked away from the young blonde, leaving him standing alone in the carrier. Finn watched him angrily as he walked away, but didn't call him out, or do anything for that matter. There was no argument here.

Meanwhile Cyclonis had taken the other two women to a more secluded part of the ship. Cyclonis held a small, bluish stone in her hands as she turned to her companions. Neither of them particularly wanted to hear what she had to say, but they didn't dare oppose a Valkyrie.

"As a friend," Cyclonis began, sounding sad, more than serious, "I implore all of you to avoid using these as much as possible…" She continued, holding up the bluish stone.

"Isn't that one of the stones that Yseronde gave us?" Sora asked quietly, removing hers from around her neck. Piper looked down at hers as well. They all had them, and managed to keep hold of it, even through the nightmare, though admittedly they were all scared to use it.

"Not these in particular…" Cyclonis stated, placing her tear around her neck, "These crystals were forged by the goddess herself…making them dangerous…yet effective. I _will_ teach you how to use it properly…now that I know. But I beg you not to use any other crystal-"

"You can't ask us to do that," Piper stated, sounding angry, "All of our talents lie in our ability to channel crystals, even before you…left, you considered using the binding in practice again-"

"Under NO circumstances are you to use the binding!" Cyclonis shouted angrily, glaring back at Piper, "On anyone! Do you understand me?!"

"Yes…" Piper then stated quietly. The air pulsed with a cold chill as Cyclonis lost her temper. Both of them, as powerful as they can be, dared not unleash the full fury of nature stored within a Valkyr.

"I wasn't kidding when I told you the binding was evil so many years ago…" Cyclonis continued, pacing as she spoke, "I never knew just how dark it was."

"I don't understand…" Sora began, "I know the sciences behind crystals and their understanding and mastery…but when it comes to the spiritual side…I don't understand."

"The binding is when a mage attunes the body and the will of their target to a crystal," Piper explained, "Imbuing the target with the crystal's power, using the mage as a conductor. It takes great skill and an _even greater_ amount of practice to get it right…"

"Anteres died…" Cyclonis began, pushing down her own emotions as she spoke, "The first time, because of a misguided attempt at the binding. It's extremely powerful, extremely dangerous, and incredibly dark. Nature wasn't meant to be manipulated in such a way-"

"But that's not what this is about," Piper began, taking a step forward.

"If it was a question of nature," Sora interrupted, sounding equally as angry, "Than the gods would have done something sooner in regards to the scientists. I may be young, still, and I may not be of this Atmos, but I think you forget _I am_ a scientist and _I am_ still capable of logic _and_ reasoning…Something not many people of this world have…I know enough to know there is something bigger at hand here. I'm living proof of that…If it was a question of not using the binding than you wouldn't be speaking to me as well. The problem isn't in this…silly, crystal magic you both practice…the problem is within the crystals themselves. Now you tell us what the real issue is or Piper and I will continue to fight as though this conversation never happened!" Sora shouted, rising to her feet. She was pale and exhausted, and knew that she barely stood a chance, here with her friends, let alone in battle. Sora knew that being able to use Crystals was her only chance. She felt herself feeling helpless. Regardless, Piper placed her hand on her companion's shoulder as they both stood before Cyclonis, knowing she would never strike them. She let out a sigh, defeated.

"I understand your frustration," Cyclonis replied, "But the repercussions of knowing-"

"We're prepared…" Piper stated, placing her hand on Cyclonis' shoulder, "There isn't anything that you could tell us that would shock us…"

"I beg to differ," Cyclonis replied.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Nova asked, following after Ace. They were standing somewhere within the wastelands. Ace extended his arm forward, opening a pale, white rift within the space before them.

"My powers may be limited," Ace stated, looking to the portal, "But I still have the ability to traverse the planes…something Cypress can't even do without her reliquary…We're going to the far side. Or, part of it anyway…There's someone we need to find…and fast…"

"Cypress!" Nova exclaimed, "Are we prepared to fight her _now_?!"

"We're not going after Cypress," Ace stated, "Besides, we'll have time for her later. No, there's someone else we need to speak to."

"Who?" Nova demanded. Ace said nothing. He merely nodded towards the portal, as if saying: you'll find out soon.

She obliged him by stepping into the vortex behind him. Nova was used to travelling through Portals. She too had the gift of plainswalking before being banished alongside Advent. The portal closed and in a flash of pale light, both of them were now in the far-side of Atmos.

"I have no memory of this place…" Nova stated quietly, looking around at the new surroundings, "Where are we?"

"Towards the Brink," Ace stated, "Where the far-side drops into oblivion…he's somewhere around here…" He continued.

"He?" Nova inquired, as they walked across the luminescent ground, "So this is a man we're looking for? Can a human even live out here?"

"I can say that he won't be very human when we find him…" Ace continued, "The energies of this place…could do horrific things…"

"I don't want to stay here very long…let's find whoever this is, and get out," Nova stated, looking over her shoulder constantly.

The screeches of the 'locals' echoed throughout the tremulous mountain ranges of the far-side. The sound alone was enough to send shivers down the spines of man, but to hear them barking in the distance was haunting. The air was cold with a thick fog hanging in the air, leaving an unpleasant mist that clung to their bodies. The presence of the dark forces behind this place could be felt, pulsing throughout the ground, and coursing through the veins of those that did not belong here. Not to mention, the far-side seemed so limitless. No matter how far Nova and Ace travelled, it seemed like they hadn't moved very far at all.

"There really is no place quite as horrible as this," Nova stated, looking up into the murky, blue-green sky.

"Purgatory," Ace stated, looking up at the sky alongside her, "Is what some might call it…"

"I'm aware," Nova stated, "That's what it's called in…the _other_ Atmos…"

"On earth," Ace replied with a nod, "We should keep moving…I sense he's not too far from here."

"Here?" Nova asked after a few silent moments of walking, as the pair climbed over a rather jagged hill. They were met by a large, and murky grey lake. It could be seen beneath the dull waves that something big was swimming beneath the surface. All the creatures of this world gave off a dull, serene, and chilling glow. On the opposite side of the lake, they could see a small cavern carved into the side of the hills that lined the lake. From inside they could see a flickering orange glow, a color that was unnatural in this world.

"Let's go…" Ace began.

* * *

**[Message from KC]:** Hey! I finally got my computer back and here's the update that I promised MONTHS AGO! I am so so so so so sorry and thank you guys so much for not dropping it :3 it means a lot. Anyway I hope you guys like the new chapter. I promise the last volume will be kick-ass to make up for my computer being dead -_- GREAT TO BE BACK :D

[Happy Sunday Everypony!]


	83. Chapter 4: New Atmos

**[Message from KC]:** PLEASE READ: So for those of you who don't know, I live on the east coast in America, and you may or may not know that there is a hurricane rolling in. It's pretty bad here, and I have lost power a few times (namely while typing this update). So what I am saying is that this may be the only update for a bit. If you're living in an area that will be effected by the hurricane than I wish you well and stay safe and stay dry! I will see you all soon!

Happy Monday Everypony!

* * *

"Anaxagoras!" Noah shouted, her cold, wild voice hissing throughout the halls of the throne room. There was a spiteful look in her dark eyes as she burst into the chamber, her leader's brothers in tow. Anaxagoras was looming over the balcony of the citadel, staring down at the glowing orange streets, "You have ruined us and ruined this empire!" She screamed, rushing up towards him.

"Within a matter of hours the Twilight Knights and the remaining resistance have managed to rally the people of Atmos," Anaximenes stated, sounding more hopeful than upset. Anaximander gave him a look, not a cold or angry look, just a look, and lowered his head, "They've already taken back most of the minor terras. They'll have Lumina city within the hour…I'm sure of it."

"We have nothing left Anaxagoras!" Noah shouted, pleading with her unfortunate leader, "We _can not_ wait for Cypress to come back. It could be another day or another _year_! We don't have time!"

"Make a decision brother…" Anaximander stated quietly, still looking down at the ground.

"None of us will be spared," Noah stated, sounding scared for her immortal soul, "The Sky Knight council-"

"Is dead and gone!" Anaxagoras exclaimed, an insane look in his eyes as he turned to her, "We killed them years ago! After the Twilight Knights flew through the rift! There is no council, Noah! We're going to be just fine…" Anaxagoras laughed as he watched one of the buildings beneath the citadel crumble in fire.

"I can't let you stand by and let this empire fall!" Noah exclaimed, stepping forward, "I have worked too hard to stay young, to stay alive for us to be beheaded in a few days! If you're not going to command the fleet…" Noah stated, turning away from him, "That I will!" She shouted, before being seized by the ankle and dragged to the floor. She looked down at her leg to see one of the shadows within the chamber, snaking around her leg.

"You will do no such thing!" Anaxagoras shouted.

"Then you have to!" Noah shrieked, "The army will not obey my command without you!" She pleaded.

"If you would just give me the time!" Anaxagoras shouted, throwing his hands over his ears as he collapsed to the floor, "I know that little bitch knows…she knows how to open the portis…"

"The more time we give you…" Noah stated, "The deeper we dig our own graves…you have till sunrise before we assume command of the fleets." She stated, rising off the ground and heading out of the room, the men close behind.

"Send for the prisoner," Anaxagoras commanded after several moments of silence, turning to the two Nightcrawlers guarding the door. They nodded and headed out of the chamber, leaving Anaxagoras on the floor, gazing down at the crumbling city, "Meno…what are you hiding!?" He screamed, his voice screeching through the hall.

"As it would seem…" A voice stated from close behind. Anaxagoras jumped to his feet, as it was a voice he did not recognize, "You have done a beautiful job of undoing all the work my mother has done…"

"You…" Anaxagoras growled, jumping to his feet, spitting venom at the young man standing opposite him, "What are you doing here!?"

"I've come to help…"

* * *

Chapter IV.

New Atmos

"Welcome back," Aerrow stated as the sizable rebellion filed back into the old consulate building. Some of their equipment, charts, books, and gear had been left behind, so their recovery wouldn't be too steep.

"It seemed too easy," Piper stated, as the rest of the battalion immediately set to getting their old headquarters in a working order, "It didn't even seem like the imperial soldiers even tried."

"Who cares," Finn stated, sounding a bit like his old self (though, finally having a victory would naturally brighten one's spirit), "All the Empire has left is Atmosia…not much of an empire if you ask me…"

"But it's still a pretty sizable stronghold," Aerrow stated, turning back to the guardians, "If we can push the empire back even farther, we can take back Atmosia."

"For now we should focus on building our offence," Cyclonis added, with a nod.

"Agreed," Aerrow replied, turning to his guardians, "Junko and Finn, I want you to re-outfit anyone still standing for combat. Cloud, see if anyone needs medical attention, regardless of how minor. Stork, get Aida, Jean, and all other available engineers and make sure all skimmers, heliscooters, and sky sharks are in optimal flying condition. They don't have to be pretty, they just need to fight. Piper and Sora, start on strategies and defense. Also, check the conditions of our crystal stores. We might have been gone but they might not have gotten to our vault, and we're going to need the ammunition."

"Right," The two girls stated, looking to each other nervously as the group replied with a nod and headed into the crowded fray of fighters. Aerrow immediately turned to Cyclonis, who was staring back at him with a defiant look in her eye.

"We've discussed this, sister…" Aerrow stated, looking down at her. She simply raised her chin at him. She was not afraid of him, or the other Valkyr, "What did you tell them?"

"Nothing that we don't already know, _brother_," She replied, narrowing her gaze, "They have a right to know. And if I have an obligation to protect them…they should know the consequences of using magic for selfish purpose."

"There's nothing selfish about our purpose," Aerrow stated, looking at her wish shock, "If we let Atmos stand in the hands of Cypress than we endanger the other worlds that are connected to ours…"

"That's not what I mean…" Cyclonis stated, "I mean using crystal magic, to fight, is selfish when Sora and Piper are perfectly capable of surviving without it…and it's not just the magic. It's our blatant misuse of-"

"We don't have a choice," Aerrow stated, "The way I see things, is if Advent had no moral opposition to it, than for now, neither should we." He concluded, walking away from her to check on the status of the recovery.

"Wait…" Cyclonis called, heading after him.

"I'm not discussing this further with you," Aerrow stated.

"That's not what I want to talk about," Cyclonis stated, shaking her head, "It's just that Nova and Anteres have been gone for some time now…I thought that they would at least be here by now."

"I have no doubt that they are fine," Aerrow replied, shaking his head, "The D- I mean Anteres is a Valkyr, just like us…and Nova may be fallen, but she's still a Valkyrie. Have some faith."

"If they aren't back by this time tomorrow…I suggest we find them," Cyclonis requested. Aerrow turned to her and nodded in agreement, before continuing through the consulate building.

Cyclonis let out a long sigh as she turned away from them, heading back through the hall and towards the foyer of the consulate building. From behind her, she could hear Aerrow giving out orders to the others, fluttering to restore their headquarters. They had already sent many of the rallied people to other terras to rebuild, but now it was a matter of rebuilding Lumina city. She could hear the footsteps of some fighters rushing to the makeshift hangar outside (thankfully that had remained).

"Alright!" Matteo shouted from within the halls, "My squad! Meet in the northern district in less than half-an hour!"

"All injured parties please see Miss Cloud in the infirmary!" Innes tried to squeak over the already loud crowd.

Regardless of all this, Cyclonis headed outside on to the crumbling steps. She looked above her head to watch a swarm of the empire's minions flying overhead. Something didn't feel right to her. At first, they were just scrambling around with no direction, no guidance. But now it seemed that they were flocking back towards Atmosia. This wasn't a retreat, this was a regrouping. They would be back, and Aerrow was right, they did need to build their offense.

Still, Cyclonis knew what she had to do. Skimmers were one thing, but they stood little chance if they couldn't take to the skies. They needed another carrier. With the addition of the people's rebellion, the Blood Crow alone would not carry them all.

She let out a sigh, as the neatly folded wings on her back extended, and her pristine feathers fluttered outwards. They reached their full span as she lifted her head upwards towards the sky, and her great wings began to lift her off of the ground. However, she didn't get very high. She felt a presence nearby, and immediately knew who it was. She let out a sigh and gently came back down to the ground.

"Why didn't you call out to me?" She stated, after touching back down to the ground, and standing in complete silence for a long period of time.

"You looked like you were going to do something important," Finn stated from behind, "I…didn't want to stop you."

"It's not that important," Cyclonis stated, turning around to face him, "Not too important anyway…for you…What is it?"

"Nothing," Finn stated after some silence and turning back towards the foyer of the consulate, "It's nothing…"

"That isn't true…" Cyclonis stated, stopping him in his tracks, "You're afraid, aren't you? You'd be a fool if you weren't afraid…_I am_ afraid Finn. You can't tell me that you are still sane after all this?"

"Things are going to change…" Finn stated, sounding scared as he looked down at his feet, "What does this mean," He stated, gesturing to Cyclonis and her person, "I mean, for us?"

"I don't know," Cyclonis stated, shaking her head, "Valkyries aren't permitted to fraternize, let alone copulate…I don't believe that Jevanni-"

"You think she won't allow us to," He stated, looking down at the worn, but clean ring on his finger. It was Advent's, though they weren't sure why she had wedding rings in the first place. Were they meant for Cyrus? Or for Artemis? Either way, he didn't care.

"Maybe…" Cyclonis stated, looking sad, "Though I can't be sure. Jevanni is set in her ways, but she does acknowledge that I was human, not too long ago. But we'll discuss this later…"

"I…" He began sounding upset, however he turned his head away and moved back towards the foyer, "No, you're right…we'll talk about this later…"

She let out a sigh as she turned her head away from him and looked back up to the sky. A sudden surge of courage pulsed through Finn as he then turned back to her, opening his mouth and taking a deep breath as though to call out to her, but just as he was about to speak she had taken off into the darkened sky hanging above Lumina. He let out a sigh, and then gave her a weak smile as she flew away. He needed to set his feelings aside, for now. There was something greater at hand. He could discuss the details of his marriage with her later.

* * *

"TELL ME!" Anaxagoras shrieked, throwing his hand across Meno's face. The fallen creature let out a harsh yelp as she fell to the ground. She was now completely powerless, stripped of her abilities. Anaxagoras loomed over her, staring down at the Far-Child with disdain. She attempted to peel herself up off of the ground, but her new form was weak.

"…" She replied with nothing but a low growl as she stared back at him. He sneered at her, giving her a swift kick in the side.

"You have been enough of a burden to me," Anaxagoras stated, pulling a sharp silver dagger from the sheathe dangling at his side. He lifted Meno up by the roots of her dull, lifeless hair and pointed the dagger in her face. Her eyes grew wide, but never broke direct contact with Anaxagoras. The pair stayed deadlocked for a long time. She knew that he would let no major harm come to her. She knew too much. He ground his teeth as he drove the sharp tip of the knife into her cheek. She let out a cry as a stream of dark red liquid streamed down her face, and she was thrown back down to the ground.

"Anaxagoras cease this," The strange voice commanded from within the shadows once more. Meno's body seized as the voice echoed throughout the hall. She scrambled to her feet, backing away from the body, staring at her from within the darkness.

The figure emerged from the shadows, with a gentle, cold, and pale smile across his face. He was tall and broad, towering over both Meno and Anaxagoras. He had long, silvery white hair that partially fell in his face, as the rest was loosely pulled back into a long ponytail that hung pas his knees. He was dressed in a tight, black, leather sky knight's uniform, but none form this Atmos, that was taught with many silver and black belts. A dark, silk cloak hung over half of his body and flowed behind him. The darkness of his clothes contrasted with his ghostly pale skin. His eyes were two different shades, one bright crimson, and the other pale blue. Lastly, two dark wings were folded neatly within themselves.

However, his face was eerily familiar. He had a frightening calmness about him, like he could snap at any moment. A particular trait of their former leader.

"Meno," Anaxagoras stated with a dark, twisted, smile, "I would like to introduce-"

"No need," The young specter began, holding up his hand to Anaxagoras, "I believe she already knows." He continued as he took a step towards Meno. She sat, paralyzed on the ground as the figure walked towards her, and seized her by the chin, "Aw…poor thing. She looks as though she's seen a ghost. Now tell me, my dear…" He continued, cradling her head in his hands, "Now we need something from you…Where are the keys, Meno…"

She said nothing. Instead she shook her head as she let out a small, though somewhat crazed laugh. Anaxagoras cringed once more as he clenched his fists. He moved to strike her again, when suddenly an alarm sounded within the throne room.

"What is that?" The figure commanded, turning to Anaxagoras.

"It's the emergency siren," Anaxagoras growled, looking up at the pulsing red light above them, "Come with me!" He demanded, snapping his fingers as the shadows rose from the ground, seizing Meno by the arms and holding her in place as they rushed out of the room.

Within minutes, the two men were in Cypress' observation chamber. Hundreds of her soldiers were scurrying about to make sense of the situation as the alarms sounded. The remaining lieutenants were standing upon the dock overlooking the observation deck. Anaxagoras leaned over the railing.

"I want a status report!" Anaxagoras commanded over the panicked crowd of sentries.

"The Twilight Knights have taken back Lumina City," Anaximander stated quietly, "They've taken the dry-dock on Saharr, the smelters on Terra Gale, and have taken the prison terra of Zartacla."

"They're re-outfitting the prison as a new base," Anaximenes stated, "They've managed to release all the imperial prisoners."

"We've lost too much to continue this pattern of waiting," Noah stated, "I'm commanding the-"

"No," The nameless figure interrupted, "No we will wait…let the Twilight Knights have this small victory. We still have Blizzaris, Rex, and what's left of Merb and Wallop-"

"Who are you?" Noah demanded quietly, crossing her arms. He said nothing, just smiled back at her as he turned back to the large monitors hanging above them, "…Anyway! They have the terras of Heissigaurt as well-"

"We've never held those!" Anaxagoras snapped turning to her.

"Still-" Noah exclaimed.

"The Twilight Knights have taken back Glockenchime and the Time Pulse," One of the sentries called from below.

"…wait…" The figure stated, placing his hand on Anaxagoras' shoulder, "…trust me…"

* * *

"Alright," Starling called with a smile into her communicator, "Than we'll reconvene in Lumina City."

"Perfect," Aerrow's voice called from the other end. Leto and Aru were close behind her, as the pair was overlooking the people of terra Rex, slowly but surely taking back their terra, "We'll send Harrier and the rest of the Rex Guardians back as soon as possible."

"Take your time," Starling stated, rather confidently, "It seems as though the empire is retreating-"

"Don't be so sure," Aerrow replied from the other end, "It's not like Cypress to just give up. They'll be back."

"Right," Starling nodded, "We'll keep you posted." She stated closing her communicator. It had nearly been twenty four hours since they began taking back the Atmos. However, something didn't feel right. It was too easy, and they knew that. They also knew that they needed to take advantage of Cypress' absence while they could.

"Starling," Leto called. She turned to the troll and raised an eyebrow, awaiting his response, "This terra be tapped out…"

"How do you mean?" Starling replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Meaning the empire has drained this terra of all it's resources," Aru stated with a frown, "These people have nothing."

"Alright," Starling stated, scratching her head, "We're going to have to ration supplies until we can do a drop of our own-"

"Dats what we be sayin…" Leto began, "Ya can't be rationin noting…"

"Aerrow and the others have enough to worry about," Starling stated, turning to the pair, "We'll just have to make due with what we have…" She continued heading back into the urban sector of the terra.

"Oh Leto!" Aru stated, seizing his arm, "I am thrilled that we've been able to take back so many homes in so little time…but what now? These people have nothing."

"Da state of Atmos," Leto continued, looking down at her, "New Atmos…dat is…will be recoverin from dis war for some time…Atmos may never recova from dis witin our lifetime…We just need ta be exceptin that this is the state of New Atmos…"


	84. Chapter 5: Febbre Alta, High Fever

Chapter V.

Febbre Alta (High Fever)

"I'll admit," The creature began in a raspy, quiet, gravelly voice. Ace and Nova sat upon makeshift benches within the sizable hovel. It seemed as though the resident of the far-side was quite the survivalist. It had managed to find enough usable resources; however, it would seem that the long-term effects of this place were rather negative. This creature, slowly lumbering about the cavern, was human at one point.

It was tall, and wide, with a hairy, oily, blackened body. Its arms hung down on the ground, like an ape, tough its hands were twisted and clawed. It was covered in pulsing, glowing boils that radiated with a dull, bluish-green glow. It was a massive thing, but its body hunched over as though it had severe back trauma. But despite this creature's twisted appearance, and its upside-down skull, one thing did appear completely human. Its face was normal, with tanned skin, a stern but handsome face, and blonde hair that hung in a mass on its head. Unfortunately, this beast was once human, and he was once famous on Atmos.

"I never thought I'd be happy to see a Cyclonian," It wheezed as it sat down opposite them as the sizable fire between them gently hummed and crackled, "But your presence tells me that there may actually be a way out of this place…"

"For us maybe," Ace replied, crossing his arms as he gently leaned back, "But for you…not so much."

"Domiwick…" Nova began, leaning over her knees as she looked at the creature. Yes this poor twisted soul was once the great I. J. Domiwick, the legendary Atmosian explorer. It was evident that he was paying for his _exemplary_ behavior back on Atmos, "We need to know a few things, and we think you might be able to help us-"

"You want to know about the portis…" Domiwick wheezed, rising to his feet as he walked to the entrance of the cave, "And the keys…"

"Is that what these are?" Ace inquired, rising to his feet as he strode towards Domiwick, the three coins in his hands. Domiwick craned his long neck around to look at the items in Ace's hand, and simply nodded.

"They unlock access to the Portis," Domiwick continued, "And access to the worlds…"

"So it's true," Nova began, rising to her feet as she followed behind them, "You were the first human on Atmos to visit the far-side."

"Yes…" He replied in a hoarse voice, "After I entered the submerged cavern on Terra Aquanos, I swam for days before reaching any kind of surface. What I found was the cavern within the wastelands, or the Portis' hiding place…I can't tell you the order because the keys were already in place…all I needed to do was approach…it…the next thing I remember is a flash if white light, and seeing the door…the next thing I remember is waking up on the shore of this lake…it's been so long…I don't even remember how long it's been…or what Atmos proper even looks like…"

"It's been fifty-four years…" Ace stated, looking out onto the glassy grey surface of the lake, "To be exact…Domiwick…" He continued. The human-beast looked to the Valkyr and raised an eyebrow expectantly, "You know enough about the far-side…I can't think of anyone who has spent more time here than you-"

"I won't go back," Domiwick replied, sounding sad and defeated, as he lumbered back into the cave and slowly sat down in front of the fire. Ace and Nova exchanged looks as they turned to him, "I am a monster…the people were never except me-"

"Do you even have any clue as to what's going on in Atmos Proper!?" Nova exclaimed, sounding disgusted and irritated, "There's a war and-"

"It's none of my concern…" Domiwick replied flatly.

"None of-" Nova scoffed in disbelief, "None of your concern!? I swear-" She growled, raising her fist as Ace took strong hold of her wrist. Their eyes locked as Nova let out a growl as Ace silently commanded her to stand down.

"If you want to die here," Ace began slyly, as he looked down, picking at his fingernails, "Than that's fine…but you know that the energies of the far-side won't allow death?" Domiwick didn't move, nor did he respond. He already knew this. It was why his face had stayed so young for so long, "I'm offering you a second chance…tell us everything you've learned about the far-side and I promise-"

"That Cyclonis will give me everything I could ever want…" He scoffed, turning away from the pair.

"No…" Ace replied, kneeling down next to him, "I don't work for Cyclonia anymore…I answer to a higher power…" He replied, as a set of bright, silvery white wings burst into reality as a few glistening feathers gently floated around them. Domiwick's blue eyes grew wide as Ace rose to his feet, Nova with her grey wings flittering behind her as well, walking up behind him.

"So they do exist…" Domiwick asked, looking them both over as he stood, "Then again, nothing surprises me anymore…But I won't go back…there's nothing that can be done for me…"

"We can't reverse the effects," Nova began, placing her hands on her hips as she smiled at Ace, "But what if we can get you a new body…"

"Impossible…" Domiwick replied, walking past them.

"Not necessarily…" Ace replied, nodding to Nova in understanding, "A lot has changed since you've been gone. The empire that currently controls the Atmos…one of their generals is a crystal necromancer. She knows how to reanimate corpses and bind them to her will…she also has mastered the art of placing souls into new bodies…"

"…what do you want from me?" Domiwick asked after several long, silent moments.

"We need everything you know about the far-side, its resources, and its inhabitance," Nova began, "In exchange, we'll bring you back to Atmos-"

"And give you your body back…" Ace continued.

"It won't be my body…" Domiwick stated, sounding somewhat ashamed, "But anything to be rid myself of this prison…" He stated, placing a clawed hand on his repulsive chest.

"Then let's go…" Ace began looking out into the murky horizon of the far-side.

* * *

Meno let out a silent shriek as she collapsed, falling to the cold ground of the throne room. Anaxagoras was hovering above her, looking wild with anger. Meno coughed and sputtered, trying to peel herself off of the floor. Anaxagoras delivered a swift kick to her side as she let out another quiet yell and fell once again.

"Anaxagoras enough…" His strange and mysterious friend sighed, sitting upon Cypress' throne, "She's not going to speak…"

"I'll pry it out of her…" He began, crouching down next to Meno.

"No…" The mysterious young man sighed, walking beside him, and pushing him out of the way, "My dear…" He began quietly, with an eerily sweet smile, "Would you be so kind as to open your mouth."

Meno looked at him with fear and confusion, but obliged. Anaxagoras raised his eyebrow as he noticed the strange black circle burned into Meno's tongue. The strange man smiled as he gently stroked Meno's hair, and gently pushed her jaw upward. She closed her mouth as she gently backed away from him. He then rose to his feet and turned to Anaxagoras, shaking his head.

"She won't speak," He sighed, "Because she _can't_ speak. I'm sure you know about runes…she's been silenced you twat…"

"Now what…" Anaxagoras hissed, kicking Meno in the side once again. The strange man scoffed and rolled his eyes at him. Anaxagoras strode from the throne room, leaving Meno alone with the strange man, "If she can't give me anything…than kill her…" Anaxagoras stated, just before leaving the chamber. The heavy obsidian doors slammed shut, and the echo of the stone crashing together resounded throughout the room.

Meno's heart raced as she tried scrambling to her feet, though she had been beaten severely, and moving was difficult. Her clawed hands gripped her bruised sides and she attempted to run away, but fell to the grounds, her legs crumbling from weakness. She let out a wail as the mysterious man headed slowly towards her as the malformed woman tried to crawl away.

However, instead of obeying Anaxagoras' orders, he placed his hands on Meno's shoulders and gently sat her up to face him. Meno was shaking violently as her pupils dilated. He smiled at her, and tussled her hair once again as her golden eyes locked with his two-toned. Something about his presence set her at ease.

"I won't let him harm you," He stated, placing a gloved hand on the ashy skin of her cheek, "I don't obey the command of that mewling little worm. But you already know that…" He smiled, as Meno nodded. He gently lifted the woman off of the ground and she curled up in his arms, almost like a child, "I'm going to take you away…" He then said quietly. Meno looked up at him, and for a brief moment, they finally understood one another. He gave her a weak smile as his darkened wings unfurled. He stepped out on to the balcony of the throne room, the streets of Atmosia crumbled and smoking from the heated rebellion, and he leapt into the hazy air, flying off with the far-child in his arms.

Meanwhile, Anaxagoras had moved through the towering corridors of the obsidian sanctum. He was heading towards the observation deck when he turned to the sentries standing before the door.

"Find Noah," Anaxagoras commanded of them, forgetting about the state of Atmos for a few hours. He was so blinded by his need to place Cypress back in his midst that he forgot about the twilight knights, the war, and maintaining the empire, "Lock her away…do whatever you need to do to make sure she does not leave the premises."

"Sir," One of the Sentries wheezed through the metal mask on its face, "Lady Noah left the terra several hours ago…"

"WHAT!?" Anaxagoras shouted, as his voice echoed throughout the sanctum. He rushed into the observation deck, and noticed that every figure in the room was silent. He looked furious as he seized the microphone of the fortress' intercom, looking down on to the figures, staring up at him with petrified violet eyes, "All mobile units!" He shouted into the intercom, "I want Noah brought back to me within the hour! I want all active flyers patrolling the Atmos! You are not to stop for anything unless you've found her! That's an order!" He growled, slamming the microphone down on the intercom box with a screech. All the creatures stood still, fearful that Anaxagoras had completely gone off the deep end, "GO! NOW!" He then shrieked as the darkened figures of the room scattered and scrambled.

"You're a fool," Anaximander began. He turned around to notice that he and his emotionless little brother were now standing, alone, within the observation deck. However, for the first time in their life, Anaxagoras swore he saw a twinge of anger, annoyance, and fury in his younger brother's watery blue eyes.

"…get out…" Anaxagoras snapped, shooing his brother away. But he never left. He turned to his watery twin and repeated his command, "I said get…out…"

However, before he could make the command a third time, Anaxagoras found himself falling to the ground, plastered against the grated catwalk. He coughed and sputtered as the wall of water dissolved and Anaxagoras could rise to his feet. He coughed and choked, spitting up water as he gasped for air, only to be thrown back against the railing by another frigid rush of water, stinging his skin like hundreds of cold needles.

"What…" Anaxagoras coughed, stumbling to his feet, "What…are you…doing!?"

"Noah is right," Anaximander stated quietly, slowly striding towards his brother, "The empire is falling fast with you in command. I think it's safe to say," He continued with a chilling and blank expression, thrusting another blast of heavy water towards his older brother, "That we've worked too hard to throw it all away." He continued as Anaxagoras felt himself being seized by two of the bulky sentries.

"LET ME GO!" Anaxagoras screamed, kicking and thrashing as he attempted to break free, "I WON'T STAND FOR THIS!"

"You don't have to…" Anaximander stated quietly as the sentries began dragging his older brother out of the observatory, "Once Noah returns from her scouting, she'll remove your crystal core, and you'll be stripped of your title within the empire-"

"NO!" Anaxagoras screamed, "I won't let you-"

"Take him away…" Anaximander stated flatly and coldly, "And throw him in a bright room…don't want him escaping anytime soon."

"You'll burn for this brother!" Anaxagoras screamed as his voice trailed down the corridor, "YOU'LL BURN!"

* * *

"Have you lost your mind!?" Harrier exclaimed indignantly within the crumbling stadium on terra Rex. Starling, Aru and Leto, along with the struggling residence of the terra, were gathered within the safe-haven as all resistance volunteers of the terra were issuing what little supplies they had to the elderly, injured, and children, "We won't last another day unless-"

"I know what you're about to ask for," Starling interrupted, sounding thoroughly fed-up with the entire situation, "And we can not siphon resources from other terras just because the people of Rex are a little hungry! We need to pull together Harrier!"

"Starling is right," Aru nodded, mediating the situation, "We can't let any terras take preference over another…there are people all over the Atmos suffering right now-"

"I didn't ask for your opinion!" Harrier snapped.

"What you be sayin' to my Aru?" Leto growled, looming over the pompous knight.

"Enough!" Starling exclaimed, as Leto and Harrier exchanged poisonous glances and backed down, "The last thing I need right now is for-" She snapped, just before being interrupted by the ring of her communicator, "Ugh…hold on…" She growled, pulling out the small grey device, "Starling here…come in."

"Hey beautiful…" Ace's voice crackled from the other side. Aru couldn't help but giggle as Starling shot her a sharp look and gestured the trio to go help the volunteers with the disaster efforts.

"Anteres…" Starling stated, seemingly trying to keep the conversation private, "You're back! I mean…It's good to hear from you…I know we haven't had much of a chance to talk but…I-"

"Listen," Ace began from the other end, "I can't right now…Nova and I are in the middle of something…but Aerrow wanted a status report from Rex."

"Other than the adamant protests from Harrier about the treatment in regards to his homeland," Starling stated with a sigh, "Things seem to be going rather well on the resurgence…Though I definitely need to stay. I have a feeling that there would be some negative repercussions if I left Leto here to oversee the operation."

"Oh come on…" Ace laughed quietly from the other end, "Have some faith-"

"Oh I have complete faith in Leto," Starling replied, "Harrier…not so much."

"Alright well…" Ace began, his voice trailing off a bit, "Good…I'll let him know…oh and Starling…"

"Yes?" She replied quietly, sounding hopeful.

"…I do want to see you sometime soon," He replied.

"I'd like that," She replied, just before the line went dead. She let out a sigh as she closed the communicator and turned back to the arena. She jumped slightly, noticing that Aru had been standing right behind her the entire time, "How long have you been standing there?" Starling demanded, shaking her head.

"Just long enough," Aru replied with an airy smile, "…If you'd like to go…I am sure that I can keep Let reined in long enough until terra Rex gets back on its feet."

"That's not your job Aru," Starling sighed, as she returned the warm gesture and smiled back, "And my relationship with Anteres is also none of your concern…"

"I never said anything about that," Aru replied playfully, shaking her head, "But as long as you mentioned it-"

"The two of us have more important things to worry about than matters of the heart," Starling continued.

"Don't…" Aru replied, shaking her head as her expression saddened, "You need something to hold on to during these times Miss Starling…" She continued, "I am sure that he needs you as much as you need him-"

"I don't need anyone," Starling replied, placing her hand on Aru's shoulder and walking past her, "Now come on…we have a lot of work to do…"

"Whatever you say…" Aru replied, looking down at the ground. She was just hoping that the other terras were doing better than they were.

* * *

**[Message from KC]:** I am still frigging alive... and I swear to god I will finish this story if it kills me...

EXCUSE TIME! So I feel like I need to explain why I haven't updated in almost 2 months...

first off, Hurricane Sandy really f-ed up everything where I live. I mean she completely fried my laptop so...yeah I had to take care of that...

Secondly, National Novel Writing Month (basically write a book in 30 days) was in November. I completed the contest and did write a book (my own story, characters, etc...in other words my own original work) and because I spent all of November working on that...yeah it kinda took preference over this...

Third...ly...School...I do that. Yeah while writing a book for national novel writing month, I was doing the college thing, with the papers, and the tests, and assignments and jazz...And yeah today was the last day of finals, hence why I was able to put out this chapter :D

shitty chapter I'm sorry guys...

TL;DR I am full of excuses! But I will and should be updating more frequently now! There's a lot yet to go in volume III so we should be seeing a frigging ton of updates in the near future :3

Happy Wednesday Everypony...and It's frigging great to be back :D


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